College Bands Rock The House No Thanks To The PA

On my latest article for the Brown and White I covered Lehigh's Battle of the Bands. When the judges announced Scott Pine & the Conifers as the winners the crowd turned silent, with the exception of a few claps out of respect. Everyone was starstruck at the fact that the Peeled Labels, the famous Lehigh 8-person band that includes oboes and violins, didn't win after clearly sounding better than the other bands.

The judges did their job, though. They weren't deceived by the horrible PA speaker system that sank the performances of the heavier rock acts. The Peeled Labels used their live performing experience and took a soft, almost acoustic approach to their set. The result: Clear sound tranceding through peoples' ears.

I'll be honest, no one was in shock more than me at the fact the Scott Pine won. I thought they didn't have a chance, not because they weren't good, but because of their lack of stage presence. The distorted guitar gave me a headache. It was so bad that I had to go outside and order something to eat from Hawk's Nest while they finished their set. The speakers just weren't picking up the high frequencies. And that applied to high pitched vocals as well. I later heard their songs online and realized how good they truly are. On Saturday the guitars sounded crushed and distorted (not in the good way, but in the annoying way) and the vocals of such band like Spitting Images, Roth and The Down Low sounded like a cheap megaphone was being used as a mic. Only Matt Bellamy from Muse can pull that off.

I was expecting The Peeled Labels to win. Hands down they had the best set and also sounded the best. But I can easily understand why the judges didn't pick them. They're not the type of band you would imagine opening for rapper Wiz Khalifa. They'd make a great opening act for Dave Matthews Band or Jack Johnson, mainly softer acts.

Regardless, many bands showed promising talent and I hope they exploit it to the fullest.