Rockville Centre Youth Council Battle of the Bands: A review

I was lucky enough to be in on the action as a member of the Rockville Centre Youth Council for its Battle of the Bands at the Recreation Center on Sept. 24.

I had never heard any of the bands play before, and I was excited to listen to their efforts. The bands were prepared with their set lists and we were prepared with free snacks and drinks. The free concert attracted many high school-aged teenagers from the Rockville Centre area and it was their presence that made the event a success.

The night kicked off at 8 with an enthusiastic performance by TheEmptySkyBand, a duo, consisting of Lix Iza and Nathan Bailey that had strong beats with a lighthearted riff permeating the songs. One particular keyboard melody was reminiscent of “Alice Practice,” by Crystal Castles, a pleasantly curious influence for the more rock-oriented band.

The next act, DA FU’s, had the audience on their feet and reaching toward the stage. The members, John Weigell, Rob Halley, Mike Tinghitella and James Gemino, had notable technical ability on their respective instruments. My personal favorite song of their set was “The Pokemon Theme Song.” Because who doesn’t want to be “the very best, the very best that ever was”? A mix of orginals, covers and quite a bit of jokes exchanged between the audience and the performers made their set memorable.

The third and final band was a trio by the name of Stoic. Its members were talented and in sync. I was particularly impressed with a cover of “Tighten Up” by the Black Keys that involved guest tambourine player and whistler Connor Metz; it sounded practiced and musical rather than interpretive and dissonant, as some covers tend to be. The final act of the night, Stoic ended the event with an exciting show.

This night could not have been made possible without all the hard work and help of Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tony Brunetta and RVC Youth Council Co-Presidents Taylor Kosakoff and Nick Suss. They did a fabulous job of organizing the event.

I would also like to thank everyone who made the night as successful as it possibly could be, including all the bands who performed, the Rockville Centre Youth Council, the Recreation Center staff and Front Street Bakery and Bialystok & Bloom. The next Youth Council event is a Bowling Night on Oct. 28 at 10 p.m. at RVC Lanes.