On September 20, four bands went head-to-head at UPAC Concerts’ first installment of their Fall Battle of the Bands. First up was Corona of the Sun, who kicked off the night with their rendition of Velvet Revolver’s “Slither,” a definite crowd-pleaser.

Jefim Piekarz ’06, lead vocalist, appeared as comfortable on stage as any professional performer. Remaining classic rock band instrumentation was filled by Mike Alves ’06 on guitar, Raj Pandya ’06 on drums, and newcomer to the group, bassist Jeremy Ross ’08. With the exception of Ross, this band has been together for two years and as such are accomplished veterans at performing for crowds.

Corona of the Sun’s original songs range from ballads to harder rock. “’Til You Came Along” and “Citizen Soldiers” come complete with extensive opportunities for Alves to demonstrate all the classic air guitar moves—with a real guitar.

Jesse Newman ’05 changed the mood with his ‘solo’ act. Newman performed on his electric violin to accompaniment from two laptops, a CD player, and a homemade midi control box. This artist has been playing the viola as well as the violin for the past ten years and composing with the software he uses for about four years.

While it’s common knowledge at open mic nights that Newman takes forever to set up his “inanimates,” the result is well worth the wait. His original pieces, with titles like “bass pumpkin” and “bounce it,” combined with his charismatic stage presence to delight even the rock-hardened crowd in attendance Saturday evening.

The evening segued back into rock with the easy groove of Watch Jimmy Jump’s “Here and Now.” They are a fairly new ensemble, formed only a few months ago. While they lacked the easygoing stage presence of Corona of the Sun, the group did have that certain je ne sais quoi to get the crowd going. Frontman Adam Plesniak ’05 was even comfortable enough to joke with cat-callers between songs. He was joined onstage by Seth Corson ’05 on bass, Jeff Litt ’06 on drums, and Jim Otton ’05 on guitar.

Watch Jimmy Jump had solid musicianship and interesting original compositions. Plesniak appeared to have some difficulty holding onto the melody during Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So,” but I challenge anyone to pin down the exact melody of a Weezer song. The final song saw a slight switch of roles as Plesniak took over drums and Litt moved to a keyboard.

The Crooked Garage utilized different instrumentation. Their main melodic drive came not from guitarist Sheehan “ZZ” Gottehrer-Graf ’08, but from keyboardist Satoshi “Yoshi” Kiyono ’08. Vocals and additional guitar work were supplied by Drew “Flash Gordon” Rajczewski ’08.

The whole band actually practiced together for the first time scant hours before the show, after their drummer, Mick “I need some Ritalin” Malkowski, drove five hours from his hometown to reunite with old friend and former bandmate Kiyono.

While Rajczewski’s voice is strong and perfect for belting out the tunes, he and the band as a whole lacked a confidence. The finishing touches present in other bands’ performances were lacking, like memorization of the lyrics for their cover song, Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World.”

The Crooked Garage is definitely on the level when it comes to sheer musicality, though. Their last piece was a spur-of-the-moment entry and its improvisation was a highlight of the evening. These newcomers will definitely blossom into a band with the strength to prevail in future Battles.

The big winners were ... drumroll, please ... Corona of the Sun! They took home $100 and a chance to compete in Battle of the Bands Finals later this year. The runners-up were, in order, Watch Jimmy Jump, Jesse Newman, and The Crooked Garage.

The other winners of the night were Brian Ondov ’05 and Josh Intriligator ’05—the organizers of the Battle—and UPAC Lights and Sound. They put on a professional show, and are doing it again this week. Part two of the Fall Battle of the Bands will occur Saturday, December 4 at 8 pm in the McNeil Room of the Union. Ben Hanley, Maelstrom, March 4th, and POTOTSOLATTTJ will be vying for the next spot at finals.