Pretty much every rock musician from our generation has passed through that rite of passage known as a “Battle of the Bands”. If you’ve never been to one, all the local aspiring bands in the area come together to strut their stuff in a live on-stage competition for best band in front of an adoring teen audience. The whole scene is drenched in teen angst, cigarette smoke, hormones and rock n’ roll.
In our case, it was an annual summer event held in the then sleepy suburb of Saline, MI. The battle was co-sponsored by the local Jaycees and a local music store, held over three consecutive weekends, for non-professional bands from all over Southeastern Michigan. Bands were judged on musical proficiency, showmanship, and originality during a 15-minute set. The top three would win musical equipment prizes from Music Mart with the top prize being a shiny new PA system, along with (of course) all-important bragging rights.
Tommy and Bruce, then seniors in high school, decided to enter their band Backslide with Tommy on bass and vocals, Bruce on drums and vocals, a guitarist / electric violinist, and a harmonica player. The highlight of their set was a version of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” featuring electric violin and a fierce double time section that broke down to introduce the band. This was a radical strategy, given that every few minutes the power chords of “Smoke on the Water” boomed from the stage (it was a VERY popular tune that year)…
By the next summer, Backslide had lost its guitarist and harmonica player. Undaunted they assembled a new band, called Noah Blindside, with a keyboardist and a guitarist who doubled on sax. This line up had Bruce doing more vocals to the new band’s bigger, jazzier sound.
Across town, Mark was rehearsing his own band, complete with a horn section, to compete in the band battle. Mark’s band was unfortunately eliminated in the first round, never making it to the finals that year – but he was already planning his next campaign…
In the finals, Noah Blindside played their butts off, but in the end the judges were swayed by another band’s quirky showmanship and band choreography. Noah Blindside took second place this time and Bruce was recognized with the “Best Vocalist” trophy! But the story doesn’t end here.
The lessons Mark learned from his first band battle competition set the tone for his next attempt. Now a senior in high school, he put together a new band called Medusa, with himself on guitar and vocals, a lead singer, a bass guitarist, a keyboardist, two drummers with double bass kits, and a road crew replete with matching lab coats to set up and tear down. They performed one of Mark’s first original songs as part of their set. Needless to say, all of that preparation plus showmanship and originality paid off and Medusa won first place that year with their lead singer taking home the “Best Vocalist” trophy!
Is it coincidence or fate that the boys did so well at the band battle – three years in a row?!
Mark and Tommy have traveled many parallel paths with Bruce connecting along the way, beginning with the same elementary school, same fifth grade teacher, same junior high, same high school, same high school piano teacher, same booking agents…These are just some of the sparks that ignited the long fuse that kept burning over the years and eventually gave rise to the Foundry Town Survivors today!