 |
| WINNER: Odds, including Derek Van
Lynn. |
With a packed house at Juanita’s Cantina
Ballroom urging them on, four bands gave strong performances Friday,
March 4, in the final round of the Arkansas Times Musicians
Showcase. But in the end, the Odds, a quintet out of Fayetteville,
survived with its infectious pop-rock and percussion-heavy jam sound
to emerge as this year’s “best original music band in
Arkansas.”
The Odds bested Further Down, a power rock group
from Jonesboro; “nu” metal group Temper Effect from Little Rock, and
blues band Charlotte Taylor and Gypsy Rain from Heber
Springs.
By winning, the Odds assured themselves of a spot in
Riverfest as well as on the Peabody-Little
Rock’s
late spring-early summer schedule of concerts, the date to be
announced soon. Also, the winning band received $300 in music
equipment from Jacksonville Guitar, $200 in food from Trio’s
Restaurant, an ice chest full of Red Bull, recording time from
Cabot’s Blue Chair Studio, and a photo shoot from Arkansas Times
photographer Brian Chilson.
The Odds, second on the lineup
Friday, grabbed the room’s attention with its melodic pop-rock with
jamming undertones. The shared lead vocals and harmonies of
keyboardist Derek Van Lynn and bassist Severino Myers were on
throughout the band’s 30-minute set. The group’s catchy “Stick It in
Your Pocket,” the title of its first CD, and the closing number,
“Angel Divided,” appeared to be the clinchers as far as original
music.
Charlotte Taylor’s band mixed traditional rock blues
with some upbeat funk that kicked off Friday’s show, and her backing
band displayed splendid musicianship.
The catchiest song of
the Showcase may have been Further Down’s “What You Say,” which
concluded its powerful rock set. Dustin “Red” Dorton gave the stage
a festive look by painting his bass map with the flag of Ireland,
while frontman Michael Collins kept the band
energized.
Temper Effect had huge fan support and performed
solidly as the final band of the night, with determined vocalist
Devin Castle, bassist Nick Williams and drummer Jerry Halpain
leading the way. The group’s energy and choreographed thrashing
style were noted as high points by the five judges.
The
contest, held at Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom on Main Street, was the
culmination of a process that began around Thanksgiving, when the
Times began receiving the first of 52 entries. Those were pared to
16 for four weeks of semifinal rounds to determine the four
finalists.
|
