Thursday evening at Summerfest brought us the much anticipated Finals Competition in the Land The Big Contest featuring Hydra Melody, The August and Independent Idols. It was an epic battle to say the least.
The August, hailing from Nashville by way of Chicago, kicked off the competition and were inspired by a number of fans who made the trek to Summerfest. Lead singer Jacky Austin offers a perfect combination of rootsy pop and country, and the band's cover of Bobbie McGee was the best cover I have ever heard of the classic rock staple. Starting slow and oozing in a burning sexuality, the band slowly picked up the pace, hitting full funkafied stride on the bridge before nailing the closing in a crescendo of insane fervor. Dustin never lost pitch or pace and the performance was absolutely chills-inducing and drew the biggest applause of the entire competition.
Independent Idols were the hometown favorites. In fact, a good 60% of the 2,500+ in attendance were there specifically to root for Independent Idols. Lead singer Ryan Berard comes across as a combination of Ronnie James Dio and Ronnie Van Zandt with a pitch perfect voice made for hard rock and heavy metal. He offered prideful swagger and incomparable stage presence and was really motivated and inspired by the hometown crowd. A post-grunge version of Lionel Richie's Hello was inspiring and jaw-dropping.
Then came Hydra Melody. But not without incident. Before they played a single note, the sound system completely failed. There was a long delay. The weather began to turn. Impatient fans waiting to see the final act were ready to bolt. Frontman Jordan Berlanga offered a combination of bewilderment and nervousness as stage hands and the sound team attempted to restore the system. Keyboardist Justin Berlanga worked frantically to get both of his keybiards to work.
After a delay that lasted a 40 minutes, the band was forced to work with a minimal sound set up that included but two working monitors for a six-piece band. Justin was forced to switch the quarter-inch cable from keyboard to keyboard as he used them because there was only one working amp.
Despite the delay, the compromised sound system, going on stage last and ll the pressure that goes with following two amazing acts, Hydra Melody pulled off a stunning victory in this competition.
"The only thing running through my mind is, 'All these people are going to leave,'" Jordan Berlanga said later. Still, thanks to the band's blend of Santana-style grooves and Modest Mouse inspired hip indie rock, Hydra Melody emerged victorious.
After Hydra Melody won the competition — co-sponsored by Tap Milwaukee, Summerfest and Robert Haack Diamonds — Berlanga said the word he thought of was "finally."
"We've been pushing the voting for months and months, and it took 23 hours traveling here," he said. "With the money, we're going to put it all back into the band, hopefully get into a studio and record and use what remains to go on tour."
Nearly 100 bands submitted audition videos, with the finalists narrowed down through online voting. The finals were judged by Gokey, Summerfest's Vice President of Entertainment Bob Babisch, Summerfest's Chief Marketing Officer John Boler and WLWK-FM (94.5) morning personality Danny Clayton.
The August took the second place award of $10,000.00 and Independent Idols walked away with $5,000.00, a winning evening for everybody involved, including the fans who stuck around long enough to see all of the performers.
Discover these acts via Facebook:
- Hydra Melody: https://www.facebook.com/HydraMelody
- The August:https://www.facebook.com/theaugustmusic
- Independent Idols:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Independent-Idols/52829923617
For more on Summerfest keep following this blog over the course of the next week or go to their website: http://summerfest.com
Photo Credit: Tap Milwaukee/JSOnline