Prim Roses’ annual L.I.F.E. Battle of the Bands took place at the Aquadome last Saturday. Six different groups performed — SKATE DECK, Conman Economy, Hunter Gatherer, sophomore Patrick Quinlan from the Skagbyrds, Fivefold and the Busted String Band. The Busted String Band emerged as victors, but there were other strong performances worth discussing.

The Aquadome as an atmosphere is great. It’s dirty, sketchy and colorful. It’s a welcoming space that does not care about its appearance and encourages its visi-tors to adopt the same attitude. However, the subpar acoustics hamper the experience. These bands might have the writing skill of Samuel Taylor Coleridge or Bob Dylan, but how could I know? The vocals bounce off all the hard surfaces and turn to mush.

SKATE DECK, a two-man acoustic group from Kansas City, Mo., opened the show. Michael Edson’s guitar parts were a mix of chords and rhythms of pop punk. Singer Brendan Jacobs has the sort of whiny, emotional delivery characteristic of that genre. Often, Jacobs and Edson couldn’t agree on the key signature. Needless to say, they have some work to do.

Conman Economy is darker and louder than I

remember from before. Now their sound is more distorted and aggressive. Their charismatic singer, Jon Gooch, screamed during a couple of songs. Drummer Philip Zahnd peppered his slamming rhythms with some impressive fills, while bassist Anthony Brummer kept everyone together with solid playing. There were a few hiccups during their set, but their energy made up for that.

My personal favorite was Hunter Gatherer, an elec-tronic duo consisting of DJ Karl Kraemer and singer Hannah Copeland. Kraemer’s strong arrangements compelled the audience to dance, which is always a good sign. Copeland was confident and dynamic.

Moreover, she had perhaps the best stage presence of all the performers, interacting with the crowd and cracking jokes with ease.

Quinlan played a solid acoustic set, accompanied at times by singer sophomore Hannah Mahon. He integrated grunge and rock covers with original songs seamlessly. In particular, he and Mahon covered the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ hit “Under the Bridge” well. Quinlan’s vocals were dynamic and emotive.

St. Louis band Fivefold wasn’t my cup of tea, but I had to respect their professionalism and skill. They were the most seasoned band, and it showed. Some-thing in the timbre of Ryan Cheney’s vocals, the tight orchestration and dark clothing reminded me of Coheed and Cambria. Judging by arrangement alone, they probably deserved to win.

The Busted String Band was charming and fun, as always. The darling Kirksville band played a strong set de-spite the fact that a couple of players were filling in. Junior Trent Dickerson of Tom Sauk played bass, and senior Cul-ver Hackel stepped in for drummer Paul Hadwiger. It was business as usual — loose, fast and boisterous picking and grinning. It was a proper ending to an entertaining night.

Index10 THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014

Coat the entire inside of the vase with dish soap.

STEP ONE STEP TWO

STEP THREE

FINAL STEP

What you’ll need:- clear glass vase ($2.39 from Wal-Mart)- dish soap ($1.89 from Wal-Mart)- glitter (4/$1.00 from Wal-Mart)

Dump out any excess soap and add glitter.

Roll vase so glitter coats entire inside. Let dry 48 hours.

Add some water and your favor-ite flowers!

By Emily Wichmer

GLITTER VASE Total Cost:$5.28

Battle of the Bands showcases a variety of talent

Brittany TempleSenior

“Though I tend to be more conservative in my style, some days I like to go all out. Pat-terned pants like these are perfect for those days!”

leather jacket for spring weather

bright patterned pants

light leather ankle booties

BY MATT SLUDERo f t h e w e e k

L.I.F.E. Battle of the Bands