I headed out to FBI 2 last night to support my boys in
Damascus and got the bonus plan. Not only did I get to hear great rock
from Damascus, but I got to see the great up-and-coming band StraightFork.

Round II of the Battle
of the Bands featured three groups that had vanquished their competeitors in
preliminary heats at varying venues. (Damascus
qualified by beating out Truck and Warrior in Round One. Truck put in a stellar
performance, though – they’re a band to keep an eye on.) This time
around, Damascus faced competition
from Second Nature, a self-described alternative original cover band , and
StraightFork, a classic hard rock band.

StraightFork took the stage first and it was immediately apparent that a)
they’re young and b) they were going to be contenders. Polished, tight, and
aggressive, the band belted out hard-hitting, southern-fried rock tunes like
“Women, Whiskey, Weed, and Lies”, “Smart, Fast and Strong”
and “It Ain’t My Fault”. All of them played with a depth of feeling
that’s unusual in a band so young, but the real standout was that night was
drummer Dallas.

{mosimage} Dallas – who apparently only goes by one name – pounded the
drums with an intensity that bordered on abuse. Resembling a young Alex Van
Halen, both in look and attitude, he showed not only an incredible amount of
skill, but a gift for showmanship, twirling his sticks above his head and
performing other percussive acrobatics.

Word’s been getting out about Damascus
and they pulled a huge crowd, easily trumping the other bands on numbers
alone. As the curtains pulled back to reveal Damascus
launching into “Pendulum”, they were greeted by a swell of people
against the front of the stage, pumping their fists in the air and singing
along. Damascus showed plenty of energy and worked the crowd skillfully,
exhorting them to keep singing along and work up a thirst, then guiding them to
the bar to buy more drinks.

Damascus was on fire, with lead
vocalist Randy belting out crowd favorites “Broken” and “And I
Realize” in his powerful, clear voice. Bassist Adrian
showed why his position is considered part of the rhythm section, keeping the
groove moving with percussive slaps and fast fretwork. Energetic and
tight, Damascus kept the pressure
mounting, thundering into their finale, “The Meek”.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stay for all of Second Nature’s set. Two songs
into their show, their guitarist broke a string and had no backup on hand.
Rhett, of Damascus, graciously
loaned a Les Paul to the stranded shredder, and the contest was able to
continue. (Talk about good sportsmanship!) The broken string put the show
behind, though, and I was out of time. After placing my vote, I was off.

I hate being left in suspense, so early the next morning I sent off a missive
to someone in the know inquiriing about the contest results. After the votes
were counted, Straight Fork had forty-three votes for first place and
twenty-seven for second; Damascus
had sixty-three for first place and two for second place. Damascus
was short five votes and Straight Fork advanced to the final round. I’m not
sure I understand the math, but hey -what do I know? I’m just the
photographer. From a photography standpoint, though, they were all
winners. Just visit the gallery to see for yourself.

For more info on Damascus, visit DamascusBand.com
For more info on StraightFork, visit StraightFork
Rocks
For more info on 2nd Nature, visit 2ndNature.com