Band of UML students, alumni tops a solid set of Boston area bands

The competition was heating up, quite literally, as the quad of Western Education took the stage at TT The Bear’s Place in Cambridge as the last band on the night’s setlist. By the middle of the set, vocalist Greg Alexandropoulos had thrown off his flashy red jacket, but the band’s energy was strong throughout. By the end, the synth-coated rock-pop band had given a performance that set them above the competition.

Every year, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble gives 24 bands a one-time opportunity to strut their stuff and get some welcome exposure; win or lose. Previous bands like The Dresden Dolls (hear “Coin-Operated Boy”) and Powerman 5000 (hear “When Worlds Collide”) have participated in the Rumble and since accumulated millions of views on Youtube.

The night had matched Western Education up against three other bands. There was the sharp performance of Butterknife, the awkward, yet cute stylings of Slowdim and the unforgettably strange Gondoliers.

Western Education layer a sweet coat of synth over the core rock instrumentation of guitar, bass, drums and vocals and they really shone with a strong stage presence. The band needed no time to get comfortable as bassist Will Hunt and guitarist Georgio Broufas were jumping around, and drummer Mark Ragusa thrashed his glasses off. After a trip back to the 80’s with a funky song, they played the fast-paced “Young Love.”

With a sweet, simple guitar lick to open the song (the kind that you’ll find yourself humming or whistling), “Young Love” was the track wherein the band exploded from good to great. It’s a little disappointing that, currently, their only released recording of “Young Love” predates their drummer, Ragusa, and utilizes a drum machine instead; but I suppose that’s just another reason to look forward to their upcoming album release this summer which will feature fresh recordings of their old songs amongst new tracks (just compare them to the drums in the freshly recorded “Rivals”).

The rest of the night featured other high quality bands who gave Western Education a strong run of competition, and even though they didn’t win, they certainly caught my attention.

Butterknife describe their own sound as loud, but with room for melody and open space, and they showed it best in their song “Muscle Memory.” With a bunch of flair on his guitar strap and a khaki-colored shirt, vocalist-guitarist Phil Wisdom looked a bit like a grown-up boy scout, but the lyrics and melody of “Muscle Memory” carry the feeling that he and the band have been around the block. The catchy chorus, “I’ve got muscle memories / made of you and me / playing on repeat,” set to a melancholic-sweet melody is enough to give you the chills.

Slowdim came on stage with a timid shuffle and announced their next songs with quick mumbles, but were earnest like no other. (Although in retrospect, their shuffling was probably more about their need to set up their pedals. Still, there was something cute about it.) Endearing tracks like “Up Stream” featured softly crafted melodies and vocals. Even their more shoegaze/post-rock songs like “Uh Oh” featured that bit of sweetness (via male-female harmony) in a vat of slow, but ever-building refrain. Slowdim were a subtle bunch, but were really quite bright.

Gondoliers are a band best described in pictures: not words. Suffice to say that they wreck ears, make photographers go ga-ga, and win my award for band-most-likely-to-just-be-a-social-experiment. There might be something interesting lying in the enigma of Gondoliers, but I couldn’t hear it behind their blaring wall of noise and I’m hesitant to give them another listen after my ears just finally stopped ringing. But damn are they interesting to watch.

While it’s the end of the Rumble for Butterknife, Slowdim and Gondoliers, they sure didn’t go out without giving a good show.
Western Education, on the other hand, will be advancing to the next stage: semi finals. The band plays on Thursday April 17.
For tickets, visit http://www.ttthebears.com. For each band’s music, search “[Band name] band” for top-list results (e.g. Western Education band).