On Saturday, The Nines in Collegetown was packed with college kids preparing themselves for a night of musical duels. The pizza joint hosted IC Big Brothers and Big Sisters’ Battle of the Bands: Ithaca vs. Cornell.
Representing Cornell were The Northern Route and The Midnight Hour, and the bands playing for Ithaca were 4 Point 0 and Men in Plaid. The crowd grew throughout the night and each band played their dance-worthy tunes. Alternative folk band, The Northern Route, played some of their originals, along with covers of MGMT’s “Electric Feel” and The Who’s rock anthem “Baba O’Rielly.”
4 Point 0, a ska band, performed last and combated with a few of their own originals—one being “Lighthouse Rule,” which is entirely about AMC’s Breaking Bad. During the chorus the band chanted, “I AM THE DANGER. I AM THE ONE WHO KNOCKS.” The band amped up the crowd and lead singer Tom Egnoto couldn’t stop gushing about how “rowdy” Ithaca is. The band also performed their version of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me,” which was confusing at first, but rarely anyone in the crowd could deny that they knew every word. The band left the crowd wanting so much more at the end of the night, and they were crowned the winners of Battle of the Bands.
Tickets were $5 in advance and $7 at the door, and all of the proceeds went to the Ithaca Youth Bureau’s Big Brother Big Sister Program. There were multiple raffles throughout the night and audience members won prizes that included gift cards to CTB, Yogurt Crazy and the State Theater. The concert raised over $200 for the charity and no one left in a bad mood.
