Battle of the Bands hits the mark

After beating out three other groups at Concert Board's annual Battle of the Bands Saturday, theMark won the coveted opening spot for this year's Spring Fling.

The Tufts band, comprised of sophomores Paul Farris (vocals), and Alec Overstein (lead guitar), and juniors Jason Autore (bass), Droo Porter (rhythm guitar), and John Burlock (drums), will set the stage for Spring Fling's main acts Less Than Jake, the Sugarhill Gang, and the Roots.

Bands were evaluated by a panel of five judges who, after listening to each group's 20 minute set, selected the winner based on a rubric that measured everything from stage presence and crowd response to originality and "appeal to Tufts community at large."

Some judges, like returning senior Joe Jaffe, came into the Battle with a very specific idea of what the winner should look and sound like. "Whatever happened to face painting to get the crowd into it? And I'm not hearing enough metal -- too much Dave Matthews and not enough Metallica," Jaffe said.

Although bereft of face paint, theMark brought enough power chords and manic energy to win over Jaffe and the crowd, which lead singer Paul Farris managed to coax to its feet for the first time that day. The highlight of theMark's set was a spot-on cover of the Darkness's "I Believe In a Thing Called Love," during which Farris jumped from the stage to top of the judges' table to sing.

"Anybody who has the balls to hop on a table and scream at the judges deserves credit for that," Jaffe said.

TheMark played its own material along with covers. The band was initially worried about the crowd's reaction to its self-described "hard rock thing."

"We're heavier than most Tufts bands but the crowd was more into it than we thought," said Farris, referring to the crowd's decision to chant the band's name after the set. "That definitely was not planned," he added.

As far as Spring Fling goes, theMark promises more of their energetic live set, as well as a few surprises: "We want to do a cover of a rap song maybe," said bassist Jason Autore.

Performing along with theMark at the Battle of the Bands were the Giant Panda Gorilla Dub Squad, Bunk 9, and the Residence.

The Residence, which was the first to hit the stage, began its set at noon, a time that the band's saxophonist, sophomore Anish Jain, found to be too early for a Saturday concert. "Twelve is a tough spot. It would be nice if the event was evening," Jain said.

Nevertheless, the Residence managed to drag more fans from their beds than any other performer, a fact that Jain attributes to a lot self-promotion and an e-mail list. Along with two original songs, the Residence covered Men at Work's "Down Under" and Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes," the latter in a decidedly ska/punk style.

Bunk 9 took the stage next and, despite some technical difficulties, had enough witty stage banter to keep their set smooth and back up songs with titles like "Kiss the Homeless." Singer/guitarist senior Ian Greenhouse and guitarist/keyboardist junior John Prensner saw the Battle of the Bands as an opportunity to "have a good time," as well as a chance to promote their upcoming EP and website -- bunk9.com.

The Giant Panda Gorilla Dub Squad, which closed the Battle, stuck out amidst the more traditional rock bands. With a horn section accompanying a guitarist, bassist, and drummer, and a penchant to play what saxophonist/impromptu dancer senior Michael Rothenberg describes as "funky-ass root-rock reggae," the Dub Squad was one of the best surprises to come out of the Battle.

Despite their loss, Rothenberg, who wore rose-tinted sunglasses and gold chains to the show, was nonetheless happy with the band's performance. "We [the band] laid it down with a lot of spirit and vibe. We love each other and our music is an expression of that," said Rothenberg.