There’s more rock ‘n’ roll in Oak Harbor than any tourist guide will ever divulge. The rock faithful came out en masse Friday, March 2, to prove this city can head bang with the best of them during the Oak Harbor High School battle of the bands.
It was a delayed reaction, but just as the clock struck the event’s scheduled 6:30 p.m. start time, a crowd started to roll in. Pretty soon the corridor leading to Parker Hall was filled with a crowd. In true rock show fashion, people were waiting in earnest for the show to begin.
At the head of the line were freshmen Channing Waage, Alice Stamler and Mikey Williamson.
The concert line waiting game is nothing new for Waage who frequents teen rock shows hosted at the IOOF Hall on Barrington Drive.
“I like to see local bands play and hear new music,” she said.
The showing prompted a sigh of relief from junior class treasurer Sam Allen who helped organize the event.
Moments before the doors opened Allen said the concert’s time had simply come.
“It’s about time the school put together an event to support bands,” he said. “Hopefully everything will work out.”
The battle of the bands has been a pet project for Allen.
“He actually ran for his officer position because he knew this was an event he’d like to organize,” said junior class advisor Ellen Christensen.
Apparently, Allen wasn’t the only one itching for some live rock music.
Parents, students, younger brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles and even independent rockers who came sans ties to the school flocked to Parker Hall.
Attendance numbers ran around 200, according to Christensen.
Signs reading “No moshing, no crowd surfing” greeted the army of rockers with side-swept bangs, shaggy hair, shredded jeans, rock studs and their best ‘I don’t care’ glare. Even the adults in the audience let their hair down for the night.
While chairs were set-up, ample space was given in front of the stage that was soon surrounded by standing rock enthusiasts.
Taking the stage were the bands The Immortal Dead Race, Cast from Ilium, Shaggymane and Amaretta. Don’t recognize some of the names? That’s because Cast from Ilium is the former Hopes Set High and Amaretta was once known as Haden. Catch up, pay attention, get ready for some great rock ‘n’ roll.
Each band took the stage for a roughly half-hour set, and while battle was in the title, there wasn’t any fighting amongst these bands. It was all about playing loud and rockin’ out.
“We see this as an opportunity to come together at a school event that supports local music,” Allen said.
Venues for rock bands, especially underage rock bands, are few and far between on Whidbey. That’s something Shaggymane drummer Michael Ryan and the other rockers would like to see changed.
“There aren’t many places we can play,” he said.
In the end, everyone was so pysched by the vibe of the evening that determining a crowd favorite got lost in the crowd.
“The kids realized we forgot to vote,” Christensen said. “We were joking around that it was more the cooperation of the bands than battle of since everyone worked so well together.”
