2010 Battle 001

Salem Student Congress sponsored a Battle of the Bands on February 6, 2010. Six local bands featuring current and former P-CEP students competed for $150 cash, an opening gig at the 88.1 spring concert and bragging rights.

P-CEP student radio station, The Escape 88.1 (WSDP-FM,) arranged for the professional judges: Robb Campeau, WHFR, John Bommarito, AnnArbor 107.1 and Paul Murphy, Bluefish Music in Plymouth. They also had a booth where they distributed 88.1 merchandise / souvenirs / swag.

The winner was Serein and runner up was Twenty For Seven. Also appearing were Severance, Farewell to Arms, Contour and Thoughts from a Padded Room.

<Click here> to view the entire 2010 Battle of the Bands picture gallery.
(Click on thumbnail image to start a slide show of pictures on each page.)

Salem Student Congress is a student governing body responsible for planning activities and making decisions regarding the entire student population. The main activities are homecoming events, canned food drives, Toys for Tots, Eighth Grade Activities Extravaganza and various community and school projects. 

Related Content

Some of the '2010 Battle' participants also played for the 2009 Salem Homecoming  'tailgate' party.
Check out the 'rain-forced-us-inside-but-we-still-had-a-good-time' picture gallery.

1984 had a Battle of the Bands too! Check out the first few pages of the 1984 P-CEP yearbook.
Bands included The Sniveling Twerps, Acid Maggots, and the eventual winners, Worlock.

Band Biographies (as told by their members)

(The order in which they played.  Band name links to their first picture in the gallery.)

Sevrance
Sevrance was started in March 2008 by three friends: Matt Yoder, Phil Shaver, and Chris Mosier. We started out as a hobby. We eventually wrote our first three songs after writing the next three songs we decided to make this a full project, and then we played several shows. We later finished our first CD which is pending copyright. We first performed at modern exchange in December of 2008. Over the past year we have played several shows at venues such as Skateland West, Modern Exchange, the Ritz bar and grill, the Bull Frog, a private party, The Factory, and the Token Lounge. Our second CD is in the process of recording, and we hope to have it out soon. When our second CD is done we will have 20 original songs alone with the two covers that we can perform. We pride ourselves on being able to put on an energetic stage show without cursing or foul language.
Members: Matt Yoder, Chris Mosier, Brandon Harcourt, Phil Shaver

A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms was formed in 2008 as, As High Hopes Die. After a few it was changed to A Farewell to Arms or AFTA. After six lineup changes AFTA has found a solid lineup and is recording their first EP to be released early 2010. They are young, energetic, and ready to build a serious fan base.
Members: Collin Hammerstien, Andrew Hammerstien, Nick Darde, Nick Keolzor, Miles Geroy

Contour
Countour's bio may not be long, but that's because the 2010 Battle was their first public performance and their history has yet to be written.  Great job on a debut show! Formed in 2009, by three friends, the 2010 Contour has evolved to include members: Nick Hazen, Zain Mahmud, Ed Yashin, Evan Caccivelli and Josh Postel.  Influenced by bands such as: The Kooks, Oasis, and Radiohead, the band is proud of their broad base of talent.  With an interest in a wide variety of music the band looks forward to more P-CEP shows and beyond!
Members: Nick Hazen, Zatn Mahmud, Ed Yashin, Evan Caccivelli, Josh Postel

Thoughts From A Padded Room
Formed in 2005, these three brothers Chaz, Joe, and Ian, have found themselves with one album on the books, and one in the making. Decided as melodic death metal by their peers, they very much have a sound all their own. Chaz is a Freshman at Eastern Michigan University, Joe is a senior at Franklin High School, and Ian is a junior at Canton High School. A very talented group of young brothers looking to share their musical vision with you.
Members: Ian Ratke, Joe Ratke, Chaz Ratke

Serein 
Serein is a high school band from Plymouth, MI.  We play folk-rock music influenced primarily by Coldplay and Dave Matthews Band. The band began with Justin Heck and Andy Milad. They had known each other for years and played some music together. They wanted to form a band, but the two of them wasn't enough. Then Avery Bruni descended from on high and unexpectedly melted Justin and Andy's faces with his violin prowess. They performed shows with just the three of them, but there was an essential element missing. Several months later, the band stumbled upon the great Tommy Zylka, whose drumming excellence was a welcome addition. We also added the incredible Christopher Atkinson who plays bass guitar. And that completes the band. We have just begun merchandising with our T-shirts and we continue to write songs and practice frequently. Currently we are playing a lot of shows, expanding our fan base, and getting ready for our first recording session. We put a ton of effort into the songs we write and practice, and look forward to joining the Battle of the Bands.
Members: Andy Milad, Justin Heck, Avery Bruni, Chris Atkinson, Tommy Zylka.

Twenty For Seven
Twenty For Seven is a band made up of six young musicians doing what they love. Originally formed by Rajiv Dhall and Matt Pastor, TwentyforSeven has gone through many member changes. When Rajiv and Matt decided to stop playing in their old band and create a new one, they needed a drummer, so their friend Nate joined. After practicing together Nate wasn't really down, so their friend Cory joined. They also wanted to add a new sound to the band, so Tony B joined in, adding synth to the band. They then decided they needed another guitar player, in addition to Rajiv, so they added their friend Zack. Later on, Zack didn't end up being down, so their friend Kyle joined the band. After this, the band was set and they began playing shows together and establishing their name. Then over this past summer they met Blake who played guitar at an acoustic set with them, and they liked what they heard. After that, Blake became part of the band, and the lineup has been solidified. Together these guys work to write and perform music in hopes of taking their passion for music somewhere else.
Members: Rajiv Dhall, Blake Hayes, Matt Pastor, Cory DeLuca, Kyle Wlikmson, Tony Bustenelli.