The annual Battle of the Bands took place on March 1 and saw local DU band Judith Hindle take first place. Hosted by the DU Programming Board, the winner of the event is allowed to open for a headlining band at the DU Musicfest.
In second place was a band called Assistance, to which drummer Erik McCready offered his talents along with “Spinning Jenny,” another local band that performed at the event. McCready has a tight and aggressive touch, a sense for the pocket that only deepens as the measures pass by.
“For most of my adolescence, I listened to almost exclusively jazz music,” he explained.
He’s been passionate about drumming, coming to DU to grow as a musician.
“I met the bass player (Dani Garcia) in Spinning Jenny two years ago during my freshman year when we played in a jazz ensemble together at school,” said McCready. “I meet everyone I play with through the Lamont School of Music. I started the band Assistance my freshman year with Kevin Ostrowski and Evan Farrenkopf. We played a couple of shows together and have since added Adon Biggs to the band on bass.”
McCready spoke about his plans: “We (Assistance) just released a single called ‘Like Minded’ that has already received great reception. We’re planning on releasing another in a month or so. I also have an album of my own electronic music coming out this summer,” he said.
In third place was an alternative shoe-gaze band When The Sun Explodes (WTSE), playing only their second-ever live performance at the event. “It feels amazing to place third, considering that was only our second time playing live,” said Ava Weiss, the lead singer for WTSE. Weiss spoke on the future of the band. “We all love to play shows, so right now we’re working towards building more of a presence in the Denver music scene. I’m really excited for what’s ahead” said Weiss.
Another band at the event was Exhaler, who made their debut at last year’s Battle of the Bands. Lead singer Trevor Briggs spoke of his experience this year.
“Performing was wonderful, it felt great to play for a big crowd. It’s heartening to see how many people showed up to hear what this school’s musical community has to offer. Assistance, Judith Hindle, and Spinning Jenny are personal favorites of ours,” said Briggs.
Briggs spoke on the influences around Exhaler, “One of my favorite parts about being in Exhaler is how diverse each of our music tastes are. We each have different ways of listening to and interpreting music, and it makes for an eclectic sound in the songs we write,” said Briggs.
“We have two singles out right now, one of which (Stain) released the night after the Battle of the Bands. Both of these angles will appear on our EP, to be released soon after spring break,” said Briggs.
As of now, the MusicFest has not been scheduled, so be on the lookout for when the event is announced so you can catch Judith Hindle open for a notable performer.
