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SGA to host “Battle of the Bands”

by Brittany Banks, Freelance Writer

Saint Vincent College’s SGA is hosting a Battle of the Bands on September 24th at 8:00 p.m., where some of SVC students will be showcasing their musical skills. Four student bands will perform both original songs and covers at the competition. The featured bands are Deadly Little Miho, the Blue Flash Trio, Parlormaid and Poolside Eyecandy. The Blue Flash Trio is a blues group formed by Frank McGrogan, Dave Tiberi, and Jackson Gortz. These names may be familiar to those to who attended last year’s Battle of the Bands, as they were members of the winning band, the Leafs. Like the Leafs, the Blue Flash trio will be performing some original songs, but for this show, they will be performing mostly covers. “A green flash is a phenomenon that occurs just before sundown,” McGrogan explained, “that is extremely rare. The only thing rarer than the green flash is the blue flash.” McGrogan, the lead guitarist and vocalist, and drummer Tiberi, are high school friends who met Gortz at SVC. “I heard him playing the Mario Theme song and knew he was the one,” McGrogan said with a chuckle. The Blue Flash Trio is influenced by artists such as Ben Harper, John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix and Jimi Page. The members of the Blue Flash Trio are not sure where they are headed in the future, as this is their first gig. “We’re going to take it as far as it can go,” said McGrogan. As for the Leafs, they are still together, and their next album is coming soon. Their single “Keep it Simple” is available on iTunes, and their 12 original tracks were released on CD on February 1, 2010. The next band, Deadly Little Miho, was formed only a month ago and did not receive a name until last week. “The idea for the name was mine,” said lead guitarist Jeremy Flynn. “It’s a character from Frank Miller’s Sin City graphic novels. I liked the name because it had a slight tinge of humor, femininity and aggression.” Bassist Josh Flynn, guitarist and singer Tony Weisenburger, drummer Tom Nielsen and vocalist Zach Noble all came together to form Deadly Little Miho with Jeremy Flynn at the beginning of the semester. The idea had been rolling around since last semester, and came to fruition when Jeremy responded to Weisenburger’s Facebook page about starting a band. The two are now roommates and practice daily. Some bands that inspire Deadly Little Miho are Brand New, the Mars Volta and Radiohead. Poolside Eye Candy, a popular participant in last year’s Battle of the Bands, will reappear at this year’s show. The band has its roots in Penn Trafford High School, where bassist Joel Caporoso and drummer Eric Simon met on the swim team. Rhythm guitarist and vocalist Casey Whittaker, two years their junior, joined the swim team, and they all got to know each other. “We were just starting out in 2006/2007,” said Caporoso, “and we didn’t have a set name yet. During the summer I worked as a lifeguard at a country club. I started thinking about how people consider other ‘attractive’ people at a pool ‘eye candy.’ Then I started thinking about us and how Casey, Eric and I were lifeguards over the summer and swimmers for the high school team. Then jokingly I said ‘hey guys, this is what we are, so let’s call ourselves Poolside Eye Candy,’ making fun of each other for our looks.” Whittaker and Simon were hesitant to accept the band name, but the people who heard of them liked it, so it stuck. Caproso and Whittaker, who both attend SVC, heard Dorminey play guitar “phenomenally” when he and Whittaker became roommates and asked him to be in their band. Logan Dorminey, a swimmer from Norwin High School, fit right in. Poolside Eye Candy writes their own music and released a CD three years ago. The self-described “prunk” (progressive rock/punk) band has a growing fan base and have played a “decent” number of gigs for small parties in the past few years. “We want people to have a good time and enjoy listening our music,” said Caproso, “we want them to connect. We aren’t rock stars, just some normal guys making great music. Everything we write can relate to everyone on some level.” Their new album is expected to be out by this coming summer. Lastly, Parlormaid is a seven-piece ska band from Brush Valley, PA. “It’s a mix of punk, reggae, and rock,” said Patrick Logan, clarinet player. “We incorporate horns, drums, guitars, and bass.” The members of Parlormaid are: Kate Robson, vocals and trombone; Paul Schillinger, vocals and guitar; Chris Shomo, bass and guitar; Karl DeStefano on drums; Paul Mehalik playing the trumpet; Patrick Logan playing clarinet and Courney Kunkle on the baritone sax. Parlormaid has been together for about two years and has played many local shows, including a few shows at Mr. Small’s in Pittsburgh. The band is uncertain where life will take them, but enjoys playing shows and aspires to continue playing live. “As graduation rounds the corner again this year, we are going be spread out, so we’ll have to see where we are then,” Logan said. Admission to the Battle of the Bands is $1, and the doors to Alcuin Hall open at 8:00 p.m. The first band will begin at 8:30 and the event will run until 12:30 a.m.

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