Battle of the Bands takes over Fargo Skatepark in DeKalb

DeKALB – People in the crowd at Fargo Skatepark in DeKalb held out their smartphones, ready to snap pictures, as the sound of music filled the muggy air while Invent Horizon took the stage.

The band – one of 10 groups from northern Illinois – assembled into formation drawing a crowd to the front of the stage for a rock-filled night put on by Fargo Skateboarding and Pushing Together Not-for-Profit.

Aiming to set the tone early with its signature dark, moody tones was Invent Horizon.

“The songs that we chose, I mean they’re the closest songs to us, very theatrical in a way,” said Joey Sepulveda, lead singer for Invent Horizon. “We like playing these songs.”

[ Photos: Fargo Skateboarding, Pushing Together NFP host Battle of the Bands in DeKalb ]

The crowd appeared to vibe with the band and its original music – so much so, that people started to clap along at the request of the quartet’s frontman.

Sepulveda said he believes his band’s performance went according to plan.

“Everybody was clapping and following the vibe,” Sepulveda said. “I think that’s the move. I think that we did good.”

As the bands shifted from progressive metal to blues and pop, organizers behind the event said they had something to appeal to every taste.

Stephanie Zoumaras, who was performing solo under the stage name Spectra, said she had a set featuring three original songs. Zoumaras said she draws inspiration from the likes of Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Beyonce, Pink, My Chemical Romance, The Used, Bob Marley and Amy Winehouse.

“I want to do a really upbeat, positive set just with that one song in the middle that might set the mood a little bit,” Zoumaras said.

Zoumaras said she is glad she decided to perform in the Battle of the Bands.

The event served, in part, as the finale to the “Keepin’ It Fresh” Drive for local youth, which is aimed at collecting unopened hygiene products.

“I’m all about these charity/not-for-profit events, especially since they’re supporting the youth and the Midwest,” Zoumaras said. “I think doing a hygiene drive is great. I think there’s a lot of kids out there that are in need of these kind of supplies, that they can’t afford, especially with the inflation right now. I think that’s a great thing that they’re doing. I love the idea of it being in a skatepark where it’s kind of a certain vibe of people that are there. It’s just kind of this community that can come together and raise money for a good cause.”

Daniel Kolakowski, lead singer and guitarist for the Electric Hearts, said he was excited to be part of the Battle of the Bands. He said he and his band draw inspiration musically from the likes of Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Scorpions.

“We like to do some high-energy rock and roll pretty much – something that gets people pumped up,” Kolakowski said. “We want people to have a good time. We want people to enjoy themselves just as much as we want to enjoy ourselves. We try to throw that energy at the crowd.”

Kolakowski said he usually has a good sense when the crowd is feeling the band’s music.

“We feed off the crowds that are feeling the vibes,” Kolakowski said. “We get the crowd going into a good vibe, too.”

Jared Kingery, lead singer for the Scared Crows, said it’s easy to pinpoint how he and his bandmates have found the inspiration for their sound.

“We’re just all passionate musicians,” Kingery said. “We love loud, angry music. We’re all mosh kids. We like to get in the pit. So, we made up this band as a way to just bring energy on the stage and see a bunch of people moshing. We got a bunch of people moving.”

Kingery said he felt confident about he and his band’s chances of not going home empty-handed.

“We were nice and energetic,” he said. “We were moving. We got the crowd moving. I got a bit of potty mouth when it comes to the songs. So, I was able to sensor all of that. I wasn’t sure if they’d dock us points or anything. So, yeah, I think we got a pretty good chance.”

Ric Harris, lead singer and guitarist for Ric and The Heat Merchants, said he and his bandmates were excited to put on a show for the crowd.

“We just let whatever the music’s doing essentially influence anything we’re doing on stage,” Harris said.

Harris said he and his band felt confident about their chances of competing in the Battle of the Bands.

“It’s just a matter of if you do it long enough you realize what’s involved with performing,” Harris said. “It’s all part of the business.”

Not every band was fortunate to have their performance go according to plan without some hiccups along the way.

Kingery said his guitarist didn’t bring a loud enough amp to the event.

“We’ve only played at smaller bars, so we bring tiny amps,” Kingery said. “They always work. In this particular instance, our guitarist … the amp just didn’t work. It wasn’t loud enough surprisingly. We thought with all the reverb it would fill the room.”

In remarks to the crowd, Tudor Storica, lead singer for Of Books and Blues, said he had to make a minor adjustment to his stage attire.

“I usually wear a hat, but I don’t know if anybody else recognized that,” Storica said. “But it’s way too hot.”

Though in its inaugural year, organizers behind the Battle of the Bands say they are glad they set out to host the event as it meshes well with everything that skate culture represents.

Pushing Together NFP board member Geoff Livengood said he considers the event a success.

“I do feel like all our goals were accomplished with this event,” Livengood said. “We were able to promote many great regional and local bands and hopefully connect many of them to our local music community. We were also able to put together a quality show with little to no experience in under six months. But most importantly, by this event being a great success and with the help our nearly 30 generous sponsors, we’re able to further support the kids in our community with the gift of skate.”

The Scared Crows took home $500 for winning top honors in the Battle of the Bands.

Organizers behind the event said everyone else who took part in the competition was given at least $50 worth of gift cards as well.