As signed bands argue with record companies, unsigned bands engage in an equally difficult battle with promoters. Saturday night's Supernova Band Wars at the Tralf was no exception.
Although the only battle intended for the night was a friendly competition between local bands, more unfolded than originally intended. With Wellness Exchange and Breckenwood emerging head and shoulders above the rest in terms of talent, winning first and second places respectively, it proves that Buffalo is not lacking in talent, just lacking in helpful promoters and chances to perform.
Listed by the Tralf to have a start time of 6 p.m., the show actually kicked off an hour earlier, at 5 p.m. Unfortunately for the bands slated for the 5 and 5:30 spots, the turnout may have appeared less than desirable.
With roughly 30-minute slots, including setup, 15 bands proceeded to take the stage, playing music from genres as diverse as pop punk, hip-hop, and metal. With no compensation for the time poured into the competition, the bands battled to get the most out of their efforts by fighting for first- and second-place prizes.
For the group deemed most talented by the judges, first place held the opportunity to have two shows booked by Supernova in the city of the band's choice. Second place furnished the group with a $199.99 voucher for eMixengine.com, which can professionally mix and master music.
According to Mike Wallace, UB alumnus and supervisor of the night's event, to participate, bands had to "sign up with Supernova, a promotion company based out of Toronto, sell their own tickets, promote the show, and get people [to the show]. "
Although age doesn't always carry the connotation of success in music, the bands that performed the best were those that had members around the age of 20 and above, as shown by the winners.
Wellness Exchange was the only band that did not have its home base in Buffalo, although two of the members have their roots here. Rather, they call New York City home for the moment, and they made the trek to the Queen City just for the competition.
As far as the crowd was concerned, Wellness Exchange was the clear winner. Bringing a fresh wave of energy to the stage, the group had a presence that was unmatched during the night. With fast-paced hip-hop backed with mellow rock, Wellness Exchange had viewers on their feet and jumping.
Led by 28-year-old Why-G?, the quintet also consists of Natty Leach on guitar/vocals, Bill Musso on drums, Jack Rich on bass/vocals, and Dave Seaward on keys/vocals. Luckily, first prize can book shows in any city of their choice, meaning Wellness Exchange can use their prize in their hometown.
Breckenwood pulled in a solid second, led by the vocals and guitar of Garrett Shea. With Will Folckemer providing bass, Cameron Kukla on drums, and Lambros Markousis on guitar, Shea was free to switch to acoustic for songs like "Loser of the Year," and piano for "Dear Abby."
However, not all bands had such smooth sets as Breckenwood and Wellness Exchange. While Breckenwood suffered feedback problems from the house amps, Broken By Dawn found themselves set back by the use of the house-provided drums.
"It was an amateur-level drum kit, which automatically changed our sound," said Derek Bajdas, vocalist for the metal group. "Halfway through the second song, the foot pedal spring shot off and we had to stop and wait 10 minutes for [the Tralf] to fix it. During the next song we were told the kids weren't allowed to mosh, which doesn't allow the kids to get into the show."
According to guitarist Nick Newcomer, the band was not allowed to make up the time used to fix the drums and the promoter turned the bass off remotely and forced them to leave the stage.
"The biggest problem was that it was a form of censorship on music," Newcomer said.
Although the winners walked away with prizes, there was no compensation given to any of the bands for selling tickets and promoting the show, and, in the case of Broken by Dawn, fans paid $15 a piece just to see their band get kicked out.
Corina Newby of Public Relations for Supernova could not be reached for comment on the issue.
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
