Big thanks to our friend Noah over at The Alchemist for publishing one of our articles in his stellar local entertainment zine! Link here to view our article and continue to support local efforts to keep music alive in the 541, Oregon, the Northwest and beyond.

The Alchemist – “An independent weekly promoting the arts and minds of Corvallis [Oregon]” Distributed locally every Tuesday and available online, check them out at www.corvalchemist.com. Keeping you up to date with local music, art, poetry and opinions relevant to the Willamette Valley [Oregon] and beyond.

HURDCORE.COM ANNOUNCING: Oregon’s First Everything Show [O1ES] brought to you by Suganuts and hurdcore.com – enjoy some of Oregon’s finest local multi-genre talent at Riley’s in Albany, Oregon on March 27th all hosted by The People’s Comedian, Will Woodruff.

As stated before, hurdcore.com is primarily geared towards fans supporting local bands, venues and events with an emphasis towards “all ages” offerings, so our recent foray into the Albany (Oregon) hip-hop community deviates some in the “all ages” aspect but is certainly well rooted in the local details. Just to be clear, our endorsement of local rap artists does come with the disclaimer that Albany’s local hip-hop talent isn’t PG (I know, shocking) in its content, but it cannot be denied as perhaps the local scene with the most traction and deepest support.

I was recently invited to travel with local artist Suganuts (interview link here) to attend a local show at Cantina in Corvallis (Oregon). As usual the show was well attended, and by several claims was by far the best attended live show to date at that venue. Local acts included: Suganuts, Poverty’s Posterboy (interview link here), Mr. 541, Treu, Markus Tha Great White (interview link here), Yung Royal, and so many more. I originally set out to review the show as a whole, but decided that as hip-hop isn’t a scene of origin here at hurdcore.com, I might be a small voice to share an outsiders view to what may be unknown about this brand of local rap.

So, whether you are unfamiliar and/or have passed on the local rap scene it because of pre-conceived notions of what hip-hop is all about there are a few things that stand out to me whenever I am around this group of artists that I think might cast a different light. This is a gathering of individuals who refuse to let their dream die. I don’t mean that to sound as though its a rag-tag bunch of has-beens that don’t know when to quit, but in the much respected sense of people who are punching the clock like the rest of us to take care of their families, bills and life-in-general but people unlike many, who maintain the resolve and discipline to carve out time to pursue their craft. These aren’t people trapped in a dream sequence of what could be, these are artists driven to act upon their passions and willing to put themselves to the fire.

More than a gathering of individual artists, this is a community of artists who have become incredibly tight knit in their support for each other while maintaining a distinction of uniqueness in their presentation of this music genre. Immediately apparent is an underlying respect for each other as artists, which comes with a celebration of individual accomplishments and an eagerness to collaborate on stage as well as in production. Even though they perform together, produce and appear on each others albums, individual artists maintain their uniqueness to such a degree that no act sounds alike. If you venture out to a local show, you will be witness to a community on the rise with a buffet of hip-hop offerings from real people who sing and share in real life.

So, if you’ve ever had a dream and wanted to be a part of a genuine community that creating momentum together, I think you would have a hard time finding that you don’t appreciate these characteristics on display wherever Albany (Oregon) hip-hop is performing. Rap may not be your thing, but perhaps you will think a little differently the next time you notice Albany (Oregon) Hip-Hop being promoted.

For UPCOMING EVENTS most of the artists mentioned in this article have Myspace pages that they update frequently, as a standard, Bogey’s Bar and Grill (Albany, Oregon) hosts Hip-Hop Night every Wednesday usually starting around 10PM.

SIDENOTE: The question that I have been asking both hardcore/rock and rap artists as well as fans, is how would a collaboration show work? I believe we can get local rock bands and hip hop artists together, several have said that they would do it, but where would we host it (primarily thinking it should be an all ages venue) and how best could we promote to generate a turn out? It seems Corvallis has a great diversity of rock offerings and Albany has to be one of the best rap communities that I observed to date, so what do WE say – at hurdcore.com we’d love your input on how to make this happen – YOU can make it happen! Taking suggestions for artists, venues and even a cause that might bring this all together.

It’s nice to find some get-down hardcore so close to home. I was spoiled living in Southern California and even closer to Portland where metal abounds, but thankfully Of Saints and Shadows brings a special edge to the Albany/Corvallis area. SAS is a friendly and fun sort of brutal, a band that will send you home smiling as you nurse your bruises. To date they have produced the best Lady Gaga cover that I have been party to with their redux of “Poker Face” presented at the Oregon State University Battle of the Bands earlier this year (2009). If you hear of a SAS show, you will want to get yourself to it because they are being pretty selective about their pursuits and may only be a temporary fixture during these OSU years. Our thanks to Evan for taking the time to share with hurdcore via Myspace.

HC What inspired the name of your band? How did your band come together?
SAS The band came together back in the spring of 2007, towards the end of freshman year of college for most of us, as Ben was starting up a metal project at the time. He was gathering up friends who could play or would learn to play the instruments and we started jamming out some material. Our original name, Dark Angelic, was taken from one of our early song titles. About a year and a half later we decided to change to Of Saints And Shadows to go along with some lineup changes. We found the name after perusing a book store and seeing it on a random book about vampires or something. We all liked how it sound, so it stuck.

HC It would appear that you have gone through some significant line-up changes even in your name transitioning from Dark Angelic to Of Saints and Shadows. How much of Dark Angelic is still a part of Of Saints and Shadows?
SAS Haha, yeah, we have had several line-up changes, to the point where Ben and myself (Evan) have pretty much been the only constant members since the beginning. We have had one previous drummer, two previous guitarists, and one change-up on vocals. Right now Ben, Craig, Dylan, and I have all been around since the DA days, while Nate was added only a month before the Battle of the Bands. That was a fun little scramble to get him caught up in time, but he’s a savage so it wasn’t a problem.

HC How would you describe your musical style?
SAS We tend to take our favorite parts of melodic metal, hardcore, thrash, and some random chill music that we like and form songs that are heavy but diverse. Basically, something that we would want to listen to that incorporates all those elements. We even shook up some of our old songs with a little groove metal feel, that was fun.

HC What is unique about your band? What makes your band/sound different from other offerings?
SAS Well, along with being on the heavier side of the music scene here in Corvallis, we try to create songs that are heavy and catchy. We like to incorporate clean parts that catch the listener off guard before launching back into the heavy stuff. We’re also not afraid to have fun with a live performance and dress totally out of character, if the battle is any indicator. We never want to take things too seriously, and in doing that we can go out and have a good time giving the crowd a show that is not only a treat for the ears, if you catch my drift.

HC You are currently based out of Corvallis, OR, are you all natives? All students at OSU? What do you enjoy most about the local scene?
SAS We are all students at OSU, having come from different parts of the state and met through the school in one way or another. The local scene has been great over the last few years and we have made a lot of good friends in the other bands. Unfortunately the scene was a bit devoid of heavy music when we started, but that has given us a great goal and niche to fill.

HC I had the pleasure of seeing you live at the 2009 OSU: Battle of the Bands, congrats on 2nd place. How did you get involved with the OSU:BOB? What do you plan to do with the momentum from this event?
SAS Thanks, the battle was a blast. Everybody already knew about the BOTB when we started, as freshmen it was the coolest event we saw on campus all year. It was just a matter of getting solid enough as a band to where we felt we would have a chance at it. We actually tried out in 2008 and didn’t make the cut for several reasons, but that really showed us what we needed to do to make sure things were different in 2009. We were extremely happy just to make it in this year, and after a lot of practice we were really proud of our performance. We were as surprised as anybody when we took 2nd place, given our style and the crowd we were playing for. The funny thing is we didn’t really plan a lot past the battle, so doing as well as we did was an interesting twist. As soon as everyone is back in town I’m sure we will be back to the grind and getting some new material hammered out, not to mention picking back up on our long overdue recording.

HC Is there a driving force behind the composition of your band and your method to writing music? Would you describe yourselves as a political, religious or any other central cause/theme?
SAS Nothing we write is overtly political or religious, and we come from a variety of backgrounds, it just so happens we share an affinity for metal in one way or another. Craig usually writes lyrics based on poetry or some other form of media that has influenced him, he is an English major after all. Ben has always been the primary riff creator and self-proclaimed boss, but so far it has worked out pretty well.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
SAS I would say our myspace is the best way to get a hold of us as a group, but then again we might not even be checking that much right now. You could always try finding us on Facebook too, as individuals, but no promises.

HC Where are you at currently in terms of releasing anything and/or gearing up for a tour?
SAS We were on the recording path this time last year but for several reasons we sort of fell out of that after only one and a half songs were complete. We hope to resume where we left off and get some more songs recorded sooner than later. As far as touring, that is a little more of a stretch, as we are all typical starving college students. We’ll see what the coming months hold.

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
SAS Most of the time we will start writing a song if some other song, artist, or anything really touches a nerve and inspiration strikes. I wouldn’t say we ever really write out of frustration for life, we’re not quite that pessimistic.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as aspiring-artists?
SAS At first we were amazed at scoring gigs outside of Corvallis, until we realized that would mean a lot of travel on our own time and gas money to play small venues for even smaller crowds. The reality struck that this was really a tough pursuit if one wants to make it big, so we definitely killed our delusions of grandeur early on. We like to keep it something that is fun and an experience, instead of where we staked all our hopes and dreams.

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from recent tours or shows that you’d like to share? Have you done much touring?
SAS We have played shows pretty much all throughout Oregon, from Portland down to Roseburg, but never in one solid tour. After one show in Portland we split up so that Dylan, Ben, and our old guitarist Zach could drive home while I stayed in Portland to visit a friend. Come to find out, Dylan’s van ran out of gas on the highway in the middle of the night in just about the darkest, creepiest spot by the Enchanted Forest. My friend and I had to jet out of Portland and find somewhere to buy a gas can and gas while they waited over an hour in the dark for us to come rescue them. That was pretty amusing. That and the time we played a show in Roseburg, it was only our third show ever or something, all the other bands were really heavy grindcore types, and I was borrowing an amp from another band’s bassist. Needless to say, we got a terrible reception, and Craig was going so crazy he threw water all around the electronic equipment and on my loaner amp. We had to have a talk with him about that one.

What happens when a bunch of engineering students from Oregon State University assemble to construct a musical ensemble? While it may not produce this same result everytime, on this occasion the byproduct has been the tremors of skindustrial (ha ha – refer to 2nd question) revolution which have launched the re-birth of ska in the hollowed halls of Corvallis. Target for Tomorrow and the Horns of Destruction have certainly made me a believer in the possibility of the resurgence of ska. TFT is far from a typcial ska band though, as you will note from the unique gathering of their members to the diversity in their collaboration. Enjoy the results of this Myspace interview, our thanks to the band for taking the time to connect with fans in this way.

HC What inspired the name of your band? How did your band come together?
TFT Well, we were originally called Pilot Light, and then it had been brought up that there were probably 10 other bands called “Pilot Light”, some of which had already released albums, and there was even one in Portland. We came together through the Oregon State Musicians Guild more or less. Michael and Aaron had a previous ska band, and then they formed Pilot Light after a few auditions for some extra instrument parts, which picked up Jason and Brian. Then Charley and Orin joined the band replacing their respective instruments a few months later from the original members. After all this, we decided to change our name once we began recording for our first EP because we’d need something unique if we were going to take the band seriously.

HC How would you describe your musical style? How receptive have crowds been to your sound?
TFT Our musical style could be said to have been directly influenced by the RX Bandits, but we pull influences from all over, funk, rock, industrial, and what have you. There was a show that somehow was advertising our sound as Ska/Industrial, so we just say we’re a skindustrial band now. The crowds have been amazing, they love to dance and experience something different. People have loved our sound because it’s so diverse, ranging from pure anger all the way to slow jams you just want to hold your lady tight to.

HC You are currently based out of Corvallis, Oregon are you all natives? Are you all students at Oregon State University? What do you enjoy most about the local scene?
TFT We’re actually from all over, majority is from Portland/Beaverton, but our bassist is from Medford, trombone player is from St. Helens. We are all students at OSU, Orin is the only Music major though, all the rest of us are engineering students. The thing we enjoy most about the local scene is that it’s such a friendly bunch. Through the Oregon State Musicians Guild we’ve met many of the other bands around town, and we all help each other out. The local venues are wonderful too, especially Bombs Away Cafe. The owner has been extremely nice to us and genuinely seems to enjoy having us play at his place.

HC I really enjoyed your performance at the Oregon State University Battle of the Bands (congrats on 3rd place), I left the show thinking, “Ska is still alive!” I was impressed with how unique your brand of ska was as several elements jumped out to me in that there were times when you expressed anger (not normally a “ska” thing), there were songs where the guitars were chunky/heavy, surf and even spiraling solos. How did you come to settle as a ska band?
TFT The band Michael and Aaron had been in in high school had started off as a ska band from the beginning, so they were already set on starting specifically that kind of band when they came to OSU. All of the variety we’ve created within the genre has come from everyone’s collective input, as oftentimes we’ll start a song off as traditional ska-sounding, then once everyone’s pitched their two cents most of the time things end up sounding pretty different. Everyone in the band has a pretty strong personality, so nobody’s afraid to contribute their musical ideas. With everyone’s different musical backgrounds, and given that we are all pretty open to stray from a core genre, it’s pretty easy to end up with something that sounds completely different as a finished product than what it started as.

HC It is clear that the horns were not an afterthought as they compliment every element and even are given segments within songs to carve an impression in the listener. While your band is a compilation of several elements, each flows well to create a sound that entertains and challenges, what wizardry have you been using to craft such a blend?
TFT In Michael and Aaron’s old band, both of them actually played saxophone, and that band had a hornline of 5, so all the music they wrote was designed to feature the horns. When they came to this band and Aaron moved to guitar and vocals, they wanted to make a point of keeping the same style of writing, and to never leave the horns forgotten. With that in mind, when they formed the band at OSU, they had the trombone and tenor saxophone positions filled, but advertised they were looking for a trumpet player nonetheless to fill the high voice. Transforming our sound into one where the rhythm section was more than just background music meant working in some ways to transition between featuring either. It’s something we’ve been working on for over a year now, and that we’ve been more and more satisfied with lately.

HC Have you discussed or thought of what your plans for TFT would be post-college?
TFT If we keep the band together, chances are we’ll kick it up in Portland, since most of us will probably be living up there anyway once we’re out of college. As long as we keep writing and recording, and people are still up for playing, we’d all be down.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours? Where are you at in terms of preparing for a formal release and/or tour?
TFT All our business is done through our gmail account, at targetfortomorrow@gmail.com. Any public information can be found on our myspace at www.myspace.com/target4tomorrow, which would include all the info anyone could desire about gigs
and the like. As for releases, we actually just got our first 4-track EP released, available at any of our gigs or through any of our band members. The show we played after battle this year was actually our CD release show. Our music will also be showing up on iTunes hopefully some time in the next couple of months. We’d all love to do a tour as soon as we can get one organized. Oregon, Washington, California, whatever.

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
TFT A lot of our musical inspiration comes from the music we all listen to. As far as anger goes, it’s anyone’s guess, a lot of the angry noises even come from outside musical influences. At the very least, we’re not afraid to sound angry when we feel like it.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as aspiring-artists?
TFT To not take anything with the band too seriously, ‘cause as far as we’re concerned, all a band should be anyway is a bunch of friends having fun. That’s probably the best overall lesson so far.

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from recent tours/shows
TFT It wasn’t from a show, but one of our best ones so far was the all-night experience that led to us getting our tracks mastered for the EP in Portland. Our singer was wrapping up his vocal and guitar tracks all day Sunday the day before, then started getting final mixes together for the masters late into the night. Over at our drummer’s, he was working all night on the album art, getting everything put in its place while mixing in studying he had for a test that morning. So all through the night up until we left for Portland, nobody but our trumpet player (who had to drive us the next day) was sleeping, instead going back and forth between Charley’s and Aaron’s while they were wrapping up everything we needed for the CD to be submitted. Just when we were about to leave for Portland in the morning, we still had a track that needed more mixing, so we loaded Aaron’s gear into the car and spent the car ride up getting the last mix put together. We were mixing all the way up until we were parking in our space in front of SuperDigital. When we sat in our mastering session, after none of us had slept all night, everyone was groggy, Jason was even falling asleep on their couch. It was a crazy ride up, following about 20 hours of work beforehand, so when the appointment was over and we’d submitted everything for our CD to be duplicated we were relieved to go chill out and eat Japanese food.

Apparently Benny the Beaver is a magnet for rock magnificence. Even several weeks after the 2009 Oregon State University Battle of the Bands, I am impressed and rock-refreshed with the wealth and variety of musical talent that is currently being fostered within the halls of higher educational pursuits in the heart of Corvallis, Oregon. If you are ready for music that is hard enough to rumble your innards while smooth enough to draw fans from diverse musical tastes, as evidenced by the incredible crowd response at the aforementioned BOTB, then Honest to Empire will be a welcome addition to your rock library. Unless you are in the Corvallis or Portland area, you might not be seeing them live until other pursuits are accomplished (namely education) but keep your eye out for Honest to Empire as this is a group who is laying a foundation that could carry them far beyond the Willamette Valley (Oregon). Our thanks to Justin for giving his feedback for this Myspace interview.

HC What inspired the name of your band? How did your band come together?
HTE The story behind the name is interesting in that a friend of our first bassist came up with it. “Empire” was a word that was frequently thrown around while trying to come up with a name and Honest to Empire is something that just sort of came from that. We actually finally got a chance to meet the guy just this year.

HC How would you describe your musical style?
HTE I think we would all describe it as metal-infused hard rock. There are certainly a lot of bands out there that are heavier than us. We try to find a balance between heavy, driving rhythms and melody in both the vocals and guitar work.

HC What is unique about your band? What makes your band/sound different from other offerings?
HTE I think something to be said for our band is that we all come from different musical backgrounds. While there is a lot of overlap among the members, each one has their own set of bands that really inspire and influence them. That definitely comes through in the music. I suppose what makes our sound unique is that a lot of people (including ourselves) have trouble pinning down which band we most closely sound like, and that is a good thing.

HC You are currently based out of Corvallis, OR, are you all natives? All students at OSU? What do you enjoy most about the local scene?
HTE Yes, we are all students at OSU but we are native to the Portland area. I think what we enjoy most about the local scene is performing. There are so many opportunities to perform for school events and parties, and they are usually always great shows. The local music scene has also diversified in a stylistic sense in recent times, which is also very exciting. It’s even better because each band is friends with each other, which creates a very supportive environment.

HC I had the pleasure of seeing you live at the 2009 OSU: Battle of the Bands where you guys put on an awesome show. How did you get involved with the OSU:BOB? What do you plan to do with the momentum from this event?
HTE Thank you, we’re glad you enjoyed our performance. Each year every band interested in competing in the battle first has to pass a preliminary audition held in the winter. From there, time slots are assigned to each band for the battle in the spring. Our first tryout for the battle in 2006 was unsuccessful. After some lineup changes we passed the audition and played in the 2007 battle. In 2008, we won. That’s why we played last at this year’s show. The band that wins the previous year automatically secures the headlining spot but is ineligible for competition, which is a rule that has been a part of the battle ever since we’ve been students.

HC *Sidenote: I was surprised with how clearly Honest to Empire owned the stage, total crowd involvement and the atmosphere of the show that you didn’t even place. Is there something I don’t understand about the OSU:BOB, or do you feel that you got snubbed as well?
HTE Our band looks forward to the battle every year. It’s a chance for us and for many other local bands to perform for an extremely large audience. We use the momentum from the battle not only to get our music and name out there, but to make damn sure that everyone has a great time. It’s hands down our biggest show each year and it’s always a riot.

HC Is there a driving force behind the composition of your band and your method to writing music? Would you describe yourselves as a political, religious or any other central cause/theme?
HTE The foundation for each HTE song usually is the guitar. Ryan or myself (or both) will bring some riffs to the table, and from there the band will begin ordering the song structure and adding the rhythm section until we’re happy with what we have. Vocals are typically added at the end. There aren’t really any specific themes that govern the songwriting process. If I had to pick one, I would say everyday life (how general is that?) is a big theme. Obviously this can mean a lot of different things, but each song has a story.

HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
HTE We have a Myspace page (www.myspace.com/honesttoempire), and are also on Facebook. We also have a website (htemusic.com) that we use as well. Myspace is probably the best bet.

HC Where are you at currently in terms of releasing anything and/or gearing up for a tour?
HTE We released our first EP, “On the Horizon,” back in June 2008. As busy college students, we currently have no aspirations for touring. We usually just rock the Corvallis scene, and Portland when we can. Right now we’re going through some lineup changes. We recently parted ways with our good friend and longtime drummer Charley McGowan, who is now drumming for Target for Tomorrow, a Corvallis ska band (check them out, they kick ass). Once we find a new drummer we are interested in recording a full-length album. We have probably 5 or 6 songs to go to fill an album so the focus right now is on writing.

HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
HTE Currently I think we have been grabbing more inspiration from the heavier side of things. This has manifested itself in a lot of driving, chugging guitar riffs and a lot of ideas in dropped tunings. We’ll see where it takes us.

HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as aspiring-artists?
HTE We’ve gotten as far as we have simply from having fun. We write music and perform as a hobby, and also to have some fun with all our supportive friends and fans that come out to see us. An important lesson gained from the whole experience, I think, is to never lose sight of why we’re here in the first place, which is simply for the enjoyment of writing/creating/performing music. Once you lose sight of that, what do you have?

HC Are there any favorite/funny/scary memories from recent tours or shows that you’d like to share? Have you done much touring?
HTE On the favorite side of things, we had a pretty epic run in 2008 with some wicked shows. After winning the OSU Battle, we played on the Ernie Ball stage at the Portland stop of the Vans Warped Tour. We also opened for Floater (awesome) in Corvallis at the Platinum. Last fall we played at an epic block party in Corvallis to an overwhelmingly positive crowd response. This year’s battle was also insane, definitely the most crowdsurfing and moshing at an HTE show that we’ve ever seen. We were all amazed and blown away by how crazy it was.

On the scary/funny side, I will say that for two years in a row now at the battle, Roland’s keys have been basically silent in the monitors on this one part in a song in 7/8 timing where the band really needs to hear the keys to get our bearings. Both years it’s been pretty scary to almost lose it hard in the middle of a song with a few thousand people watching, but we’ve always recovered, thankfully.

Sorry this is so late. Here at hurdcore we/I am a fan promoting local bands from a fans perspective. I try to post at least one band interview every week and fill in with events or other information that comes to my attention. With that said, here are my comments on the final four bands of the OSU:BOB ’09…

As the night pressed forward, we continued through the transitions of sundry musical genres. The first fall of darkness brought a new energy to the crowd as people dared to approach the stages in much thicker numbers all resolved to enjoy the full experience of the final four for the 2009 Oregon State University Battle of the Bands.

The recently re-launched Stateside Traffic took to the stage with the nights first piano driven offering. Perhaps the best purely pop composition, this may be the last band I’ve listened to that my wife said, “That sounds good,” and I have to agree, Stateside has a great sound for a pop band…I have to keep my cred right?!

Everyone has their prejudices and I am not exempt. I like my music hard and with very few exceptions within that genre, I like my vocals to be screamed. For me, New Mecca, is somewhat of a paradox as they may have been the band of the night with the most straight-forward hardest shreds and then…they sang. To be fair, they were brilliant for the style they offered and elicited a response from the crowd while also being the only band that had a number of people turn out with shirts of the band. If you like the combination of heavy riffs and singing with an edge, New Mecca will not disappoint.

With the powers of a good rock/pop base and a handsome lead, Blue Ember might have a combination of the right pieces to make a run at stardom. I note without shame that Blue Ember is a handsome man, but I would hate for that factoid alone to overshadow the backbone which is their well composed pop delivered with an entertaining alt/rock edge. The power of this combination was displayed best in their cover of Lady Gaga’s Just Dance where Ember’s instrumental crafts and diversity were on full display.

Perhaps helped in parts by being the last act of the night and the closing of the beer garden, Honest to Empire put on a show to remember with hard licks and rock charisma that owned the night. HTE straight out blistered on squirrel packed tracks such as Punisher and the crowd went insane hoisting members into a surfing frenzy. Security was pretty cool about it, assisting people to the ground safely and releasing most of them to attempt their feats once again. The final act of the night was capped off with a guest appearance from Benny the Beaver entertaining the crowd with a thrashing air guitar performance.

It was a perfect sunny day on the campus of Oregon State University for the 2009 Battle of the Bands. It wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t raining, which is a miracle in itself here in the Northwest. I had been on a emotional roller coaster from a mellow enlightenment furnished by the Reggae Rockers to a spiraling journey into metal mania at the mercy Of Saints and Shadow’s blistering axes now to enter a glimpse into that world from after with a Celtic punk infusion from Poitin and Stout.

Poitin and Stout was the largest band of the battle filling the stage with a variety of modern and uniquely Celtic instruments. PAS played a good set and while interpretive hula dancing was missing there was a regular hula dancer that introduced herself to the crowd.

Oxbow Drive brought the crowd back from the pubs of Ireland to a classic college rock experience and extracting from the crowd the first interpretive tennis ball dancing troupe of the night (perhaps ever). Oxbow certainly gathered a more diverse crowd as their music was more in the vein of the average attendee but they rose above standards with a smashing cover of Kate Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” and a cowbell mohawk collaboration from the drummer of both Target for Tomorrow and Honest to Empire (perhaps the only man busier that night than the stage crew).

Having passed the mid-point, we’ve had a guest appearance from Lady Gaga, interpretive hulas and tennis balls and a Kate Perry cover, what else could you ask for?! Break As We Fall opened strong with a cover of Queen’s classic “Fat Bottomed Girls” marked not by a Freddie Mercury classic spandex jumpsuit but Kanye West motif with a Jack Johnson sound. I thought lead vocals provided by Evan Churchill were perhaps the most captivating of the night.

Playing only their third show together, Pseudoboss brought an extremely entertaining blend of classic and modern rock. All greats have the knack for making the difficult tasks of their trade seem effortless, PSB has mastered the dark art in music of knowing how and when to manipulate diametric elements to forge timeless songs. If they don’t have all of “it” they are well on their way to making the discovery, apparently the judges agreed as PSB was awarded the OSU:BOB title for 2009. (more from hurdcore on PSB here; previous interview with Noah here)

See comments on OSU:BOB ’09 (Bands 1-4) here

Pseudoboss clearly has a classic rock appreciation and builds solidly upon that foundation to construct a rock sound that will continue to entertain for years to come. Having seen them live for the first time at the 2009 Oregon State University Battle of the Bands, I was blown away by their uncanny ability to know precisely at which moments to change direction and tone within a song. PSB’s songs were fun, fueled by three driving guitars (no bass, but it didn’t matter), with crafty blends of pure mellow rock emotion, elements of the bizarre keyed at just the right moments to keep things interesting, timely breaks and periods marked simply by rock greatness.

PSB is an authentic rock bad, no real flash to their persona, but their sound isn’t held prisoner by a specific era or captive to the rules of a singular genre. They appear to be without any agenda other than to create great music that is entertaining and challenging. If you are in or near Corvallis, Oregon you need to get your taste of the Pseudoboss experience while it is still affordable to the common man. If PSB has their sights set on greater things, I have no doubt they will continue to break ground on higher plains.

Read our previous interview with lead singer/guitar Noah here

From the time I received the updates for the Oregon State University Battle of the Bands lineup, I have been excited to see many of these local bands perform live. I arrived on scene just in time to catch the last few bars of One Third Kosher, but it was their sound that led me through the Oregon State University campus from my parking spot to the Memorial Union Quad.

Two stages were set up so that each band had a maximum amount of time for their set and while the next band could set up and sound check. Target for Tomorrow and the Horns of Destruction played second, making a strong case for the return of ska. I have to admit that I haven’t heard much ska since the late 90′s but TFT played a great set. TFT doesn’t play ska by the rules, they have hand crafted a unique blend with a heavy punk trio base that was sometimes angry while at other times chunky-surf and at all times well complimented by a sensationally destructive horn section. (more from hurdcore on TFT here)

From ska we moved to a proposed spiritual enlightenment through mind opening musical enterprise heralded by the Reggae Rockers. Reggae is not my thing, but they must have touched someone because a rare sighting of spontaneous interpretive hula dancing broke out in the crowd.

Our next band shows the eclectic nature of the battle, as we have gone from alternative to ska to reggae and now metal. Of Saints and Shadows launched their set with squealing guitars while sporting the nights first (and only) coordinated fashion statement as each member donned tie dye short shorts. SAS certainly brought a heavier tone to the whole show, with a brutal show of blazing guitars and spastic vocal entreaties all capped by a surprise guest appearance of Lady Gaga rocking her hit Poker Face on the OSU campus. (more from hurdcore on TFT here)

SAS perhaps had the quote of the night, “Maybe this next song you’ll get some water [crowd interaction], we can’t do beer yet.”

Of Saints and Shadows is high energy and enthralling metal that will give you a swift punch to the mouth, leaving a permanent (though toothless) smile. This is a band that clearly likes to have fun – note matching tie dye boxer shorts, a captivating spastic front man and guest appearances by none other than Lady Gaga – but is unmistakeably deep and blistering metal.

SAS came to the Oregon State University Battle of the Bands ready to rock and for as early as they played they elicited a hearty response from the crowd; enough to win them 2nd Place for 2009. This is a young band that has played some of the largest venues in Oregon and understands how to wail. As SAS continues to grow together as musicians and showmen this will be a band that will rock Corvallis (and beyond) well into the future.