Teen-led bands battle it out

By PAT JENKINS

Editor

Six teenager-dominated music groups are the loud, proud performers in tonight’s Battle of the Bands at the Steel Lake skate park.

Each band –– the first one starting at 6 p.m. –– will get 30 minutes on stage to play their brand of music, ranging from pop to Christian-influenced punk. The last set will start just before 9:30.

To get onto the bill, the bands applied to the Federal Way Youth Commission, which is organizing the showcase of local music. The commission listened to the applicants’ demo tapes to determine the quality of the bands and whether their lyrics are G-rated.

One band has nine months under its belt, others have been together and getting gigs for as long as two years, at least one has released a CD and three have Web sites.

By design, the band members are mostly teenagers or 20-somethings. To qualify, each band had to have at least one member under 21.

The youthfulness of the groups is reflected in statements about themselves. For instance, members of Straight Line “love to play anywhere and eat pizza.”

Other bands, in order of their appearance tonight, and their self-descriptions and their members:

• Undermind. “Mix between hardcore and punk; very melodic, very harmonic. We are all Christians and we show that through our music.” Alex Eldridge, Greg Flecheart, T.L. Terrell, Marc Nordslutten and Mike Sodergren.

• Mystic Jimmie. “We have been together nine months and have made some improvement ever since day one. We are all really stoked for putting on a show so local for us. We bring laughter, full hearts and dedication to every place we play. Check out www.mysticjimmie.cib.net.” Andy Gee, Stan Thompson, Evan Anderson and Cory Johnson.

• Roundabout. “Young, energetic pop-rock group with all original material. Emphasis is on vocals, harmonies and incredible songwriting. Live show is polished and a big crowd-pleaser. Recently played at Bite of Seattle and Back to Schoolooza at Meydenbauer Center.” Brandon Bazemore, Devin Bazemore, Mike Rapson and Tim Borquez.

• West of Waco. “A four-piece punk-rock group, with hints of pop and rock ‘n roll. We’ve been around since 2000. Since then, we’ve done two CDs and played shows all around western Washington. Our new EP will be available in stores by September. Check out www.westofwaco.com.” Chris Adkins, Mike Adkins, Jim Burns and Ryan Smith.

• Go Ahead. “A three-man punk/alternative band. We’re the returning champs from last year and we hope to have a blast. Check out goahead.itgo.com. Go ahead, make our day.” Adam Bishop, Matt Williams and Tony D’Angelo.

• Straight Line. “Five-piece melodic band. We love to play anywhere and eat pizza. We resemble our influencess –– Strung Out Slick Shoes and a little Van Halen.” Joel Schneider, Tyler Hoefle, Josh Coleman, Matt Hettler and Nick Trent.

All the bands are from Federal Way, except Roundabout (Carnation) and Straight Line (Des Moines).

Admission is free to the show, which is sponsored and supported by King County Community Organizing Program, KGRG 89.9 FM, Vihna Signs, Federal Way Police, Federal Way Parks maintenance and the 35th Avenue Skate Shop.

Editor Pat Jenkins can be reached at 925-5565 and by e-mail at editor@fedwaymirror.com

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