B2R Sandy Plains Battle of the Bands 2022
On Saturday, September 3rd 2022, Bach to Rock Sandy Plains held its first B2R Battle of the Bands. The event was presented at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center in Marietta, GA.
Each one of the 5 competing bands played two songs to showcase their Musical Ability, Stage Presence, Technical Ability, Creativity, Material, and Professionalism. Scoring these categories were three judges: Erik Herndon, Jeremy Dudman, and Christian Magby, all of whom have professional music industry and performing experience. B2R’s ‘Dad Band’ opened the show, featuring the 3 judges, with their rendition of Ozzy Ozbourne’s ‘Crazy Train’.
Performing in the Middle School Category was The Pop Rocks and Fast Fall.
The Pop Rocks became a band in early 2021, being one of the first bands to form in the Sandy Plains location. The band’s energy is unmatched, always giving the most exciting performance for all audiences. The Pop Rocks competed in the Georgia Regional B2R Battle of the Bands (2022) and placed as runner-ups in the Elementary School Division! Their repertoire consists of Coldplay, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Go-Gos, and more! Finley is the drummer, who also rocks on backup vocals, Liel jams on electric guitar and vocals, and Ayan stars as the lead vocalist!
The Pop Rocks started the competition rocking out to the Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ tune ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’, followed by The Go-Gos’ ‘We Got the Beat’. Although their lead vocalist wasn’t there, the band was able to get together and give an amazing performance. Liel, the guitarist, took center stage and sang both songs, placing The Pop Rocks in first place for the Middle School Division! Watch their performance here: B2R Sandy Plains Battle of the Bands 2022 | The Pop Rocks
Fast Fall banded together in March of 2022. Although they are a relatively newer band, they have already learned a couple of hits from artists such as Stevie Wonder and Tears for Fears, with new songs already in the works. Their first live performance was on the stage at East Cobb Park for Sunday Funday. Naoki grooves on rhythm guitar, Lowell rocks out on the keyboard, Ayaan keeps the beat on drums, and Lucas ties the band together with his lead vocals!
Fast Fall closed the Middle School Division with Tears for Fears’ ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ and Stevie Wonder’s ‘Sir Duke’. They placed as runner-ups in their division and had an awesome crowd reaction! Watch their performance here: B2R Sandy Plains Battle of the Bands 2022 | Fast Fall
Performing in the High School Category was Echo, 30 Watts, and Greyscale.
Echo formed their band at the start of 2022. The overall sound of their band has evolved through each practice and performance. Echo’s repertoire consists of Fall Out Boy and BØRNS, Regina Spector and more. Echo competed in the Georgia Regional B2R Battle of the Bands (2022) and has performed in local events, including the M2R Trailfest and Sunday Funday at East Cobb Park. Kat keeps the rhythm on drums and backup vocals, Kayla brings up the tune on bass guitar (and can also play the piano), Atlee brings out the rhythm on electric guitar, and Chloe serenades the audience on lead vocals!
Echo played first in the High School Division, showing off their new cover song ‘Electric Love’ by BØRNS, and reprising their Georgia Regional Battle song ‘Sugar We’re Going Down’ by Fall Out Boy, placing as the High School Division runner-up! Watch their performance here: B2R Sandy Plains Battle of the Bands | Echo
30 Watts has been together for a year and has been quite active not only in our school, but around the community. They have played at the Battery, Marietta Square Market, competed in Bach to Rock’s National Battle of the Bands (2021 & 2022), and took home B2R Sandy Plains’ first gold trophy by winning the Georgia Regional B2R Battle of the Bands (2022). 30 Watts began covering mid-2000s pop, but have expanded their repertoire with Disco, modern rock, and are in the process of creating their own music! Daniel is 30 Watts’ multi-instrumentalist, Oren provides the beat with the drums, Frazier rocks out on bass guitar, Doron shreds on vocals and lead guitar, and Helio brings the house down on lead vocals!
30 Watts performed second in the High School Division, playing their renditions of Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take Me Out’ and Panic! At the Disco’s ‘The Ballad of Mona Lisa’. They ended up winning their division, making them 2-time Battle of the Band champions! Watch their performance here: B2R Sandy Plains Battle of the Bands 2022 | 30 Watts
Greyscale formed in July 2022, our most recent addition to our Rock Band program! Their repertoire dives into the pop-punk side, while also gradually exploring other genres of music. You can hear them performing cover songs by Paramore, Pierce the Veil, and Steve Lacy. Ethan grinds through crunchy rhythm and soaring leads on electric guitar, Bijoux holds down the low-end on bass, Kaelyn thrashes on the drums, and Ishee cuts through the mix with her lead vocals!
Although it was Greyscale’s first competition, they still rocked out on the stage with their covers of Paramore’s ‘That’s What You Get’ and Pierce the Veil’s ‘Circles’. The audience got to experience true pop-punk with this rocking band! Watch their stellar performance here: B2R Sandy Plains Battle of the Bands | Greyscale
After the winners for each division were announced, they got the chance to play their encore songs; The Pop Rocks played ‘All The Small Things’ by Blink 182, and 30 Watts played ‘Rolling in the Deep’ by Adele.
Each of the bands did an extraordinary job, and we are proud of all of the band coaches, B2R staff, students, parents and coordinators who helped put this event together. Looking forward to the next battle!