Let the Battle Begin
Greeks vs. Geeks-Can you handle a Weezer battle?
Greeks vs. Geeks: Weezer and Beat boxing in One Music Competition
Rivalry Provides Name, Biggest Fundraiser for Silhouette
In high school, essentially it's all about the popular people and the not-so-popular people. While there may be plenty more people in college, cliques still exist. One such rivalry provides the title for the Silhouette's (the literary and art magazine) biggest fundraiser of the year: Greeks vs. Geeks.
Not to worry, though, senior English major Hali Plourde-Rogers, Silhouette editor-in-chief, assures that the title is just a "cutesy-name" that has stuck around since Greeks vs. Geeks became a tradition. "This gets our name out there. We bring magazines for people to look at, and it gives a band a chance to play live music as opposed to viewing a student's photo (in the literary magazine)," Plourde-Rogers said.
According to senior English major Jenna Wolfe, business manager of the magazine, they hope to raise about $300 in the first leg of the biannual event.
Greeks vs. Geeks is a competition among four bands, two Greek and two geek.
Starting off the night is geek band Broken Fall. The six-member band formed in fall 2005 after they met through New Life Christian Fellowship (NLCF) at Virginia Tech. Four of the members are alumnae and two are current students. Alumnus Brandon Thompson, lead singer and guitar player for Broken Fall, says that the band is looking forward to having an opportunity that will bring them all together. A few members have moved since graduating, and it has been difficult for them to find a time when they are all in town.
Last fall, making their competition debut, Broken Fall won Greeks vs. Geeks. During the competition, Broken Fall members will be playing all of their own songs and may even throw in a cover. "We might do Weezer's 'The Sweater Song.' It's a fun song, and if you were around in the '90s, you've probably heard it. The Beat Takeshi tends to play 'Say It Ain't So.' We may have a Weezer battle to see who's geekiest," Thompson said.
Performing after Broken Fall is the Greek band The Full Touch, which is followed by The Beat Takeshi. The Beat Takeshi, which won Greeks v. Geeks last spring, have been together for three years and also met through NLCF. Lead singer and Radford University student Robbie Poff plans on donning his Star Wars T-shirt for Tuesday's performance. They describe their music as being "good old rock 'n' roll" and "everything you aren't hearing on the radio."
They focused on two of their songs, "Yoko Ono" and "Battleship." "Yoko Ono" is about the pitfalls of being a famous musician and how that type of lifestyle can destroy you. "Battleship" is a crowd pleaser that was described by Poff as being ridiculous. The song encourages audience participation and lets the audience say "Battleship" multiple times at the beginning.
Guitarist Callaway Cass, a graduate student in electrical engineering, is positive that "we are hard core geeks. More hardcore geeks than Broken Fall."
Closing the night is The Frat Pack. The Frat Pack, formed earlier this semester, will be performing its first show during the competition. Four of the five members of the Frat Pack are members of a fraternity. Senior political science major Mike Rannells, bassist and member of Kappa Kappa Psi, describes their sound as "interesting," saying that they're bluesy, have two guitarists that are "rockers," and have been influenced by Dave Matthews Band, 311 and Sublime, to name a few.
Rannells describes their last act as hip-hop infused with beat boxing. "Hopefully people will be surprised this is our first time together," said Rannells.
The competition is judged by a three-person panel, including Senior Kim Foley, general manager for WUVT. Foley said that criteria will include originality, overall presentation, entertainment and audience interaction.
This battle of the bands is tonight at Awful Arthur's. It runs from 9: 30 p.m. and ends at 12:30 a.m. Each performance will last for approximately 30 minutes with 15 minute set changes in between. There is a cover charge of $5 for those who are under 21 and $4 for those who are over. Donations will also be taken.