“What do you get when you take a roomful of musicians, put their names in a hat, randomly put them in bands together, and give them seven days to create music to be performed at The Somerset on Sept. 29? Bandwich 2012!” For a mere five dollars, audience members were given the chance to vote up to five times (or pay an extra dollar for an additional vote) for their favourite act. All of the proceeds for this charitable event went to the Local 107.3 fm radio station. The organizers did an excellent job to ensure that the event went smoothly. Great time and effort were put into Bandwich 2012 and it clearly paid off.
The event was hosted by the one and only Anthony Enman, who did an excellent job of keeping the audience entertained between acts and bringing a high level of energy to the show. Keeping to a tight schedule is no easy task, but the staff met expectations flawlessly.
The music performed had a very strong, fun atmosphere to it, fitting well with the vibe from the audience. Given the limited amount of time that the musicians had to prepare for their performance, the artists still managed to keep themselves well-coordinated together; featuring a wide variety of talents and sounds, with some unique ideas for songs.
The opening group, Hot Freaks, played an intense set, with tracks ranging from a chaotic garage-rock cover of Outkast’s Hey Yeah, all the way to some intense guitar solo playful showdowns between members who demonstrated their abilities.
Fool Animal managed to create a very natural variety of sounds that had a nice flow throughout their songs, almost feeling like they had been an improvisational group that had been playing together for years while creating an interesting dynamic between instruments.
Next on the stage was Pen15. The group incorporated steady riffs and rhythm with quirky lyrics and vocals that seemed to be in overdrive the entire time. The result was something that almost felt like it grew from the early death rock scene during the 80s.
The last act to play, Legendary Sword of Onothimanos, had an interesting approach to their creative process. The group took the jingles you would hear at a circus and produced a psychedelic instrumental song, complete with a chugging bass line. It came out reminiscent of something you would hear in a horror film.
All of the acts put on a fantastic show, and The Somerset was packed. Everyone who attended had a great time and this was an awesome event for a radio station that is dedicated to a supportive community. Local 107.3 fm is an award winning station for the same reason that this event was a success. These creative and innovative ways to keep the community involved provide the backbone to keep ideas and events like this possible.
To everyone who attended, and all involved, thank you for the support! Remember to come out next year for Bandwich 2013!
Interested in watching the bands? Watch the Facebook event page closely for updates at facebook.com/groups/402580999808340/ as the organizers will soon be uploading video recordings from the night.