BU bands rock Rockus semifinals

Singer-songwriter Allison Francis kicked off the Rockus Battle of the Bands on Saturday night by describing the mood of the more than 100 attendees at Tommy Doyle’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in Cambridge.

‘Everyone is so friendly here,’ Francis, a College of Communication sophomore, said. ‘It’s not really a battle of the bands, but a merging of the bands.’

Rockus, a Boston-wide battle of the bands between universities sponsored by Rolling Stone and Harvard University’s student-run Veritas Records, held its BU semifinals Saturday night.

The winning BU band, Kids with Kites, will go on to compete against bands from Berklee College of Music, Boston College, Emerson College, Harvard University,’ Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University and Tufts University in the final round at the Paradise Rock Club on April 12.

The bands playing the semifinal round were Allison Francis & the Lost Marbles, The Calmdown Hour, Kids with Kites and The Oneways.

The executive board of BU AdClub, a student-run advertising agency, selected the four semifinalist bands, AdClub President Julie Stefani said.

‘We asked people we knew who had bands to send us demos,’ Stefani, a COM senior, said. ‘We also invited bands on Facebook to send us demos. We met together as the e-board and decided together who would be the strongest and have the best chance of winning.’

The city-wide battle of the band winner will win studio time to record three songs in New York City,, a CD release party at the Hard Rock Caf’eacute; in Boston, $1,000 in Rolling Stone merchandise, a feature on the Rolling Stone website and a cash prize.

Veritas Records served as the liaison between the Boston universities and getting them together to play Rockus, Veritas Records CEO Caitlin Crump said.

Although groups like AdClub, Hard Rock Cafe and Rolling Stone contributed to Rockus, Veritas Records accepted the majority of financial risk for the event, Crump, a Harvard junior, said.

‘We’re garnering funds and taking risks,’ Crump said. ‘We’re spending a lot because we’re trying to make Rockus a brand name. We want bands to share their music.’

Crump said she hopes the event will establish good relationships with other record labels and organizations in Boston.

‘BU and BC are rivals, but both have great music,’ Crump said. ‘In the end, music is music. You don’t need a jersey.’

A panel including Tommy Dolye’s sound technician, Weekly Dig music writer Martin Caballero and BC junior Chris Clavin judged the event. The judging criteria included a band’s stage presence, sound and the crowd’s reaction, Clavin said.

‘We rate each one out of ten,’ Clavin said. ‘It’s kind of how you feel. There’s no exact science.’

The judging rubric was tough but fair, Caballero said.

‘I think it’s tough to put a numerical value on the criteria, but it’s the fairest way to do it,’ Caballero said. ‘Performance, sound and the crowd are three very important things, especially if the band is just starting out.’

Some attendees said they did not enjoy the more acoustic-driven bands.

‘[The Calmdown Hour] were really boring,’ CAS sophomore Jeremy Glissen-Brown said. ‘The singer’s voice wasn’t fantastic, and they kept messing up and starting again. They weren’t good.’

CAS sophomore Joe Sciabica said he thought The Oneways would win.

‘I liked them a lot, and I’ll definitely look them up when I get home,’ he said.