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Web-posted Sunday, January 30, 2005
Local bands battle for crowd's attention

GenOh! wins deal to professionally record 1,000 CD singles

By Jennifer Heath
Globe-News Correspondent

On Stage: Translucent from Panhandle performs to a crowd of more than 250 during the Battle of the Bands on Saturday at WT.

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They didn't care about the prizes.
It didn't matter to Ryan Hansen, 16, and Kyle Irvin, 15, that they'll be getting 1,000 copies of their CD professionally recorded.

It didn't faze them they would create a music video for one of their songs.

All that mattered to the two members of GenOh! was they would be getting some respect.

"People don't always like us," said drummer Irvin from Pampa High School. "If we win we'll get some respect from the public."

Now that they have won the first Amarillo-Globe News Battle of the Bands on Saturday, they can count on getting noticed.

The event was part of the Globe-News "Celebrate Youth" program developed with USA Weekend Magazine and co-sponsored by the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. The event brought about 250 people to the West Texas A&M University Jack B. Kelley Student Center, said Steven Metzinger, Globe-News online director.

The first call for local high school bands collected nine groups. About 10,000 votes were cast online to select the final five, Metzinger said.

In addition to GenOh!, Blissful Intentions, Frozen Illusion, Translucent and Georgie Boy competed Saturday.

And for some, the nerves took over center stage.

"To be honest with you, I can't feel my legs right now," Wes Crump, lead singer of Translucent, said before he began the first number.

While the teens sang, families and friends sat back and encouraged.

"The worst part is when they get disappointed for not having a big crowd," said Linda Brohlin, mother of the guitarist for Frozen Illusion. "But this is what they all want to do as their life's work."

Bethany Cook and Ashley Bowers made T-shirts to support their boyfriends' band, Georgie Boy.

"We never complain if they're doing band stuff," Bowers said. "We know they'll do good."

Frozen Illusion played "Beautiful" and "Escape Reality" to their fans. Toby Brohlin crowd surfed while playing part of the second song to get the fans involved. He also tossed out copies of their CD.

"We've played a lot of places," Frozen Illusion drummer Jordan Stephens said. "We try to practice together about every other weekend."

Band members played two songs, the first being critiqued and graded by four judges. Judges looked for talent, stage presence, originality and quality of original material. One of the two songs performed had to be an original.

"I think we played pretty good," said Zach Jenkins, bassist for Blissful Intentions.

One song Jenkins and his band played was "Memories," a mix of "scremo/emo" music composed for a lost grandmother.

The two teens from GenOh! created both of the songs they sang, "Red to Black" and "Saturn Turns Around," combinations between indie and disco rock. They've been playing together for more than two years.

And although the two didn't look like typical teen rockers - wearing matching long-sleeve white T-shirts and ties and crooning into an old-fashioned microphone - they still acted their age.

"We're gonna go hang out at McDonald's to celebrate," Irvin said. "And then call everyone we know and tell them we won."

And they want to thank the Pelican dudes for voting for them. At one time on the last day of voting they were in 6th and only top five got in. They pretty much thought they could win it if they got in. They'll also get in rotation on one of the local radio stations. So this could be the break they've been hoping for.