Battle of the Bands

For the average garage band, making the transition from where their parents park their cars to where their fans park their butts can often be tough.

Most teens and twentysomethings with rock and roll fantasies only get to live out their dreams with their drum kit wedged in between their family's Dodge Caravan and a box of old Christmas ornaments.

The closest they come to fame is the Jimi Hendrix poster on their wall and the closest they come to a fan base is the occasional friend stopping by after school. Their rock and roll dreams are only realized in their garage.

Occasionally, though, an aspiring rock and roll band gets to take their power chords and cargo pants out of the garage and play for an audience that consists more than just complaining neighbors. A pair of young bands got the opportunity to do that last Saturday, as Matanuska Music and the Creekside Plaza hosted a battle of the bands.

Mercury, a local alternative act, and Strept, the Valley's answer to nu-metal, each got a chance to give an audience a taste of what they offered musically.

The bands were the first two acts in the event, and arguably the best performers in their age group at the concert.

Though each are lumped into the rock and roll category, Mercury and Strept are at opposite ends of the rock and roll spectrum, with the difference between the bands as drastic as a soothing massage and a deep jolt of electricity.

Mercury utilized soft, yet raspy, melodies and upbeat lyrics, while on planet Strept, the band haunted you with its hardcore approach.

Mercury's set consisted primarily of a uniform sound -- upbeat and melodic alterna-pop, a sound birthed by the Beach Boys and kept alive in the 21st century by the likes of Weezer and Rooney.

The band used riffs and hooks first found in rock more than four decades ago, making for bubble gum rock with an octane boost. It is a sound that the parent would like and the 15-year-old riding in the car would not be embarrassed about.

The highlight of the list of Mercury's originals was the final song of their set, "September." Written by lead guitarist John Kendall, the raspy voice of Mercury lead vocalist Jacob Dunaway complemented the lyrics. "September" is a catchy pop song that would sound good in the bar and fit right in on the "American Pie Soundtrack."

Together two years, Mercury is beginning to become known in the Valley music scene. After playing such venues as the Bear Paw Festival, Mercury has landed a pair of dates at the Alaska State Fair. The band will play the fair tomorrow and Wednesday.

Mercury already has 12 originals and plays a host of covers that spans several musical genres. Dunaway said that his band has been often pegged as a softer rock, but in his mind that is far from the truth.

"We are just a regular rock and roll band," Dunaway said.

Mercury pulled out a gem from its catalog of covers for the event. Midway through the set, the band broke into "I'm Gonna be (500 Miles)." As the band played the Proclaimers' megahit, Dunaway introduced an accent that made him sound like he came to Wasilla via the U.K.

Strept could be classified as young, raw and rude, but the potential is there. The group of Colony High School sophomores has already built a reputation for pleasing the young crowd and dropping an "F-bomb" or two in its act -- a combination that the young Punks eat faster than their Ritalin and Cheerios.

And the young Punks flock to see Strept. As the band began to set up, a large group of teen-agers decked out holey jeans and studded leather migrated toward the stage driven by their will to be weird. The group even included a large boy donning bunny ears.

Strept's set was hard and fast, a lethal dose of speed metal and hard base lines. The sound was like metal band Korn.

Like Mercury, a highlight of the Strept set was a cover. The band pulled off a good version of the Metallica classic, "Creeping Death."

The band was admittedly lost in the complicated arrangement of the song about halfway through, but most would have not known the difference.

The drummer looked like a member of the Cars rather than a metal band, but had incredible timing for a sophomore. Lead singer Anthony Hastings sounded a bit like a pre-pubescent James Hetfield, but once he grows into his vocal chords the 10th-grader could make a powerful metal singer.

The core of Strept has been around for more than a year and aspires to get better.

"We are not screwing off, but we are not taking it so seriously so where that it is all we do," Hastings said.

The band has played small venues such as the Boys and Girls Club and the American Legion, and said emphatically that they would play wherever they were wanted.

Strept has already cut a demo CD with a handful of tracks.