A nearly packed amphitheater swarmed with students this past Friday night at the smash-hit Battle of the Bands. Emcees and recent graduates Jeff Loveness and Kyle Helf and senior Seth Allison held the night together with dry sarcasm and quipping commentary. From the folk and blues of Zenda to the classics cover band King Arthur & the Knights there was a sound bite for everyone to chew on.
One band in particular killed it fighting their way to first place and answering the age-old question: What happens when two philosophy majors a law student and one gifted singer band together?
The answer: A nearly indefinable amalgamation of music genres seeking to spur a transcendental journey Elephant Room is born.
Fronted by freshman Sam Spainhower on vocals seniors Tony Audin and Ben Van Horn on guitar and Ben Whitaker on drums the band members address what has been crouching in the “darkest corners of [their] minds.”
The musicians found solace from the everyday grind by pouring their energy into the project for the past two months.
Metaphysical questions “that transcend all human thought that beguile understanding that belie … limited consciousness as detailed by Van Horn in an e-mail, are confronted by the members of Elephant Room through Earth’s universal language: melody.
Citing influences as diverse as Muse to As I Lay Dying, it’s no wonder their sound is a mind-boggling mix of metal, reggae and trippy acid rock. Mars Volta-esque, their music began in one direction but rarely returned to repeat itself.
Van Horn, rotating NewsWaves anchor, expressed the members’ mutual recognition of the elephant in the room: a constant reminder that while we clearly have an extrasensory perception of the divine we cannot be but what we are – only human.”
Pointing to the irrationally overwhelming feeling seduced by a mind-blowing song these existentialists view music as a gateway to confronting that elephant.
It was a close call as to who dominated the most astounding music in the showdown as Jonny Come Lately Revelation and Pat Flesher & the No Shows put up a noteworthy fight.
Jonny Come Lately a get-up-and-dance dynamo of sophomore Izzy Loya on vocals and guitar Julian Johnson on standing bass and Angela Ross on drums sparked students to twirl like tops on the stage before them. Loya’s bellowing voice oozed old-school charm evoking Elvis Presley. Their practice on America’s Got Talent combined with friendships dating back to elementary school had them well prepared for their runner-up placement.
“My fourth favorite book in the Bible has a band?” emcee Jeff Loveness asked with delight.
The gritty ticking melodies of Revelation summoned the animalistic spirits of a writhing mosh pit with surprisingly melodic guitar solos. Spearheaded by Nick Ippolito on bass and vocals Kenneth Zich on guitar and vocals senior Bryce Mclain on guitar and Sam Edman on drums the heavy metal band secured third place.
Meanwhile a group gathered to swoon over Pat Flesher & the No Shows.
“We probably got like 10 groupies now the band joked.
The sophomores, who wrote three songs in two days to prepare for the face-off, strummed away female fans’ hearts. Fronted by lead singer Pat Flesher, with the cello skill of Dylan Bury, the beats of Jordan Deseno, the talent of Alan Holley on guitar and backup vocals and the jamming of Jordan Smith, the band fell into fourth place.
Yet, it was the philosophers’ vision that paid off in the end. Elephant Room left the scuffle unscathed, victoriously lassoing recording time at Music Box Studios. In describing the writing process, Audin compared a chunk of melodies to a sculptor’s block.
They’re like entities that you chip away at and mold add an arm here he said, and out emerges a song which satisfies the musicians’ high demand.
The band will waste no time in piling into the studio, looking forward to 10 precious hours with producer Jonathan O’Brien. Fans can expect Elephant Room’s obscure sound to be captured on CD, promised to come out in the next month.
The brawl proved to be most of the bands’ biggest shows yet, but the significance of playing for fellow Pepperdine students reached beyond the numbers. Thrilled to be sharing their passions with fellow schoolmates, Audin said, Finally we can rock out at Pepperdine! They need to do this more often.”
Miss the champions already? Catch them this Saturday April 2 between 12 and 4 p.m. at Possiblities: A Benefit Concert. Held at M Café Calamigos Ranch the afternoon supports event the efforts of We Art Aware and The Face of Microfinance. Contact Lindsay Carron at (414) 530-2559 for more info or check out the Facebook event.