Tara McMahon

Local bands came to Quinnipiac on Saturday to compete in this year’s Battle of the Bands, hosted by WQAQ. The event featured performances by AC147, The Ultimate Sketch, and Great Caesar and the GoGetters, who won first place in the competition.

Second and third place went to bands Last Place Victory and Myopia. All winners were given cash prizes, and Great Caesar will also perform in WQAQ’s spring concert on April 3.

The night drew a crowd of Quinnipiac students and area locals alike, some to cheer on their musician friends, all to appreciate a night of original music. As with many live shows, the turnout increased as the night progressed, but acts that drew a particularly large crowd, (and lively dancers from the audience), included Great Caesar, To Write a Riot and Crowded Street, to name a few.

Although Alumni Hall was not filled to its maximum capacity, the overall turnout was large enough to make for an enthusiastic crowd. While each band performed for 10 minutes in front of a panel of judges, the audience served as an additional judging system, with its various reactions to each set.

Mixed reviews were also given to the lively and wildly inappropriate host, Jared Zeidman, who described his position as “the guy who kills time when the bands set up” while proclaiming his views on masturbation.

Comedic relief aside, the battle kicked off with the upbeat Last Place Victory, followed by Crowded Street and their obviously loyal fan base, which seemed to make the trip just for their set. A softer tone was set by Thomas Keith, and his political comments expressed with a mandolin. Great Caesar and the GoGetters amped up the crowd with their big band sound, complete with horns and incredibly catchy verses.

To Write a Riot and the Ultimate Sketch came next, so involved in their jam session that they exceeded their time limit, resulting in an on-stage verbal battle between the host and a bass player. But the music played on with the classic-rock vibes of AC147 and the metal Myopia. The night finished up with rapping duo 508’s Finest, Details and Stalemate, and finally the winners were announced.

The event drew original and varied performing styles, as well as a diverse crowd. Judges and the audience seemed to agree that Great Caesar and the GoGetters’ first place prize was well deserved, and WQAQ’s 14th annual Battle of the Bands was well received.

“We had a decent turnout and the bands were all great, they all sounded like they brought their ‘A’ game,” WQAQ Programming Manager Laura Goodman said. “I hope the Spring Concert on April 3 will be even better.”