[dropcap]A[/dropcap] few weeks ago we made the point that, despite the lovey-dovey atmosphere surrounding the Rock And Roll Rumble in recent years, the damn thing is still a competition and every April one band is victorious through three rounds and is crowned King (or in this year’s very possible case, Queen). The notion fell in line with our predictions at the start of the preliminary round (we went three for six, if you’re scoring at home), but there’s no denying that the Rumble’s best quality is exposure — for the bands, for the fans, and pretty much everyone else (journalists, photographers, and the home venue itself, T.T. The Bear’s Place, and on and on).
Yeah there’s a competition aspect, but really the Rumble is one of the best music festivals in New England — 24 bands, nine nights, and a scene and genre crossover rarely seen elsewhere. And it’s not just those in the crowd who see and hear something new — the bands get to know each other as well.
“The best part of the Rumble this year, for me, has been discovering so many cool new bands: When Particles Collide, Tigerman WOAH, Await Rescue, etc.,” says JR Roach, drummer for finalists Goddamn Draculas. “It has reaffirmed my faith in the Boston music scene. Truly.”
So even with everything on the line tomorrow night at a sold-out T.T.’s, expect some good sportsmanship and a united front of Boston rock. Semi-finals winners Petty Morals and Goddamn Draculas are partners in punk rock crime — one colored pink and the other colored drink — supporting each other through each round; and by now everyone has a healthy respect for the ambitious arena rock of Await Rescue, a bit of a dark horse through the whole competition who won their preliminary night and advanced to the finals as a wild card.
We’ve already spilled a fuckton of digital ink on all three bands. So we wondered — what do the bands think of each other? Here’s what they told us, with their set time tomorrow night and a select track from each included for your listening pleasure:
Johnny Cutulle and Corey Fyfe of Await Rescue (8:30 p.m.)
On Petty Morals: “Petty Morals has a purely joyful presence. That might be the colors and what not, but you cant help but smile wide while they’re all jumping around.” [Johnny]
On Goddamn Draculas: “Goddamn Draculas have a power and ease on stage that can only come with years of experience. They command an audience like nobody’s business.” [Corey]
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Hellion of Petty Morals (10:15 p.m.)
On Goddamn Draculas: “Goddamn Draculas are our spirit animals. Watching these guys play is like chugging a tall boy while getting a tongue bath from a pack of hyperactive bulldogs (in a good way). We’re just relieved to be playing before them so that we don’t have to stress about losing our voices while we scream and jump up and down. If they win this thing, we’re gonna hug them so hard that they poop.”
On Await Rescue: “Await Rescue’s awesomely brutal onslaught makes us wanna PUNCH. ALL. THE STUFF!!! It’s kind of weird that they aren’t, like, super famous already. When they’re in the “backstage” area with us, we all get kinda durfy and awkward, as if we’re around big-shot celebrities. Their set is so tight that somebody should buy it some Schnapps so that it chills the fuck out. We’re big fans.”
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JR Roach of Goddamn Draculas (11 p.m.)
On Petty Morals: “Petty Morals are our girls!!! They made an awesome CD, and their live show gets better every time. I’ve seen them since their very first show, and all I can say is, ‘Watch out!'”
On Await Rescue: “I only recently became familiar with Await Rescue, but their CD slays. Great production. Heavy, but not predictably metal. Melodic. They have a bright future. I hope they stick it out and give themselves a real shot at making it.”
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