The Battle of the Bands in Hotung Café showcased some of the most musically talented members of the Tufts community. Emerging victorious from the competition was Lori and Andy's 10th Avenue Supergroup, brainchild of seniors Loretta Allen and Andrew Mead. As the winner, the band will play between Drake and OK Go on the side stage at Spring Fling tomorrow.
The band's name is quite fitting as the group consists of eight musicians, six of them students at Tufts. Allen's Amalgamate peers, senior Alexander Green (who also plays rhythm guitar), senior Alexandra Rodman and freshman Sophie Dover, provide backup vocals, with senior Jeremy Strauss on keys.
With so many musicians on stage, the group is able to create a great deal of energy that should work well with the atmosphere of Spring Fling. Allen and the backup singers show a high level of coordination with each other that comes from their common experience in the Amalgamates.
In terms of genre, Allen, Mead and the rest of the group differ from the professional groups playing on Saturday. While hip hop and rock and roll are Spring Fling staples, soul and R&B music are less common on the President's Lawn. In last weekend's show, the band showed a willingness to mix originals with R&B standards to get the crowd singing and involved. Their cover of the Jackson 5 classic, "I Want You Back" (1969), was a pleasant surprise to a receptive Hotung audience.
Although this year's student performance will add a measure of musical diversity to the concert, the party atmosphere will remain throughout. It is easy to see how much fun these musicians have while performing, and this enjoyment should be infectious with such a large crowd in attendance. On Saturday afternoon, students can count on an entertaining and distinctive performance from some of their own.
