The University of Rhode Island’s Musicians Guild hosted its second and final competitive show of the academic year, the Big Nice Band Battle, in the Ram’s Den on Friday, with student bands fighting for the ultimate prize: studio time.
The show was sponsored by Big Nice Studio out of Lincoln and was judged by a panel of two delegates from the studio, as well as by audience members. Nine bands competed in total, with the winning band receiving a day’s worth of studio time. Bands were tasked with performing three songs each, with at least one being an original.
The bands, in order of appearance, were Quite Uncertain, Marble House, Kepler & The Revolvers, Cascade, Trust Fund Diva, Lino, Crushd Lyme, Late For School and Kidnapt.
After the judges’ discussion, along with a Google Form vote from the audience, a winner was chosen; Kidnapt, a band formed in the fall semester’s Rock & Swap, reigned victorious.
Prior to their formation in November, none of the band members knew who each other were, according to first-year guitarist Jace Tavares. Despite this, the group would go on to win the Rock & Swap back in November along with the Big Nice Band Battle, marking a sweep in competitive Guild shows for the academic year.
Kidnapt’s current lineup consists of third-year Nina Lima on vocals, Tavares and first-year Carlos Pinto on guitar, second-year Alec Guarneri on bass and first-year Ryan Stevenson on drums.
The group has only performed at Guild shows on campus so far and has undergone personnel changes between the Rock & Swap and the Big Nice Band Battle, according to Tavares.
“We got some substitutes,” Tavares said. “Our original drummer is in Prague, [Czech Republic] right now, so now we have Ryan. Our original bassist was tied up with other things; now we have Alec.”
They opened with their first original song, “Sonic x Eggman 150,000-Word Slow-Burn Inflation Yaoi.” The group refers to it as “Sonic,” for short, according to Lima. They also performed their original song, “Cowboy vs. The Jackalope,” before closing their set with a cover of “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus.
Lima and Tavares are the band’s creative leaders, according to Stevenson. The two take the lead in the songwriting process. Lima’s background plays a factor in her ability.
“[I’ve been singing] pretty much forever,” Lima said. “I used to be into musical theater, I was learning how to sing jazz for a few years. I then joined a band with my brother.”
This a stark contrast to some of the other members, as Pinto and Stevenson both picked up their instruments within the last two years, they said. For Pinto and Guarneri, their only live performances have been with Kidnapt.
Looking ahead, the band is eager to utilize their prized studio time to record some of their work, according to Lima.
“We have a handful of songs, definitely big things ahead,” Lima said.
For more information about Musicians Guild events, follow their Instagram @urimusiciansguild. To hear more about Kidnapt, follow their Instagram @kidnapttheband.
