'Smokena On The Water' Wins Oak Lawn's Teen Battle of the Bands

OAK LAWN, IL -- The Oak Lawn Arts Commission pulled off its biggest success to date with Friday’s Teen Battle of the Bands. Too young for the beer tent and too old for the bouncy houses, organizers of Oak Lawn’s autumnal bash racked their brains trying to come up with an event that would appeal to high schoolers and tap into their creativity. The revival of Oak Lawn’s famed teen Battle of the Bands was just what the tired old Fall On the Green needed.

Teen bands comprised of members from 12 to 21 competed for five free hours of studio recording time and an hour-long gig on Fall On the Green’s Main Stage set for Sunday. Last night’s winner is also guaranteed a slot in the statewide teen battle of the bands at the 2018 Illinois State Fair. The battle drew teen musicians from such high schools from Lyons Township, Hinsdale, Oak Lawn, Richards, Shepard, Reavis, Amundsen, Lincoln Park, Lincoln-Way and Andrew High School.

Winning first place was Smokena On the Water from the Mokena School of Rock. Smokena will appear on the Fall of the Green main stage from 11 a.m. to noon Sunday, Sept. 10, at 95th Street and Cook Avenue in downtown Oak Lawn. Smokena is comprised of members from the School of Rock’s elite house band.

Act Naturally, whose members hail from OLCHS, Richards and Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School placed second with a crowd-pleasing set of Beatles covers. The night’s only solo act, Shepard sophomore Michael Theriault, of Crestwood, who goes by the name goggleboi, placed third.

If there was a prize for working the crowd and stage presence it would be Sage, whose members attend OLCHS. This three-person combo including James Walsh, Daniel McLawhorn and Emma O’Malley-Galvan were impressive in their public debut. The best part of the evening was watching the bands and their friends having fun on stage and in the mosh pit. The joy was infectious.

With other towns are canceling their teen band wars for lack of interest, we’re happy that the Oak Lawn Arts Commission extended the entry deadline. With so venues left where teen bands can perform before an audience, it would be great to see high schools eschew the DJs and hire some of these young bands to perform at dances and other community events. If Friday’s successful show is any indication, there’s a good chance that Oak Lawn’s teen band battle will become a viable force in the future.

Here are some of the Facebook Live videos from Friday’s teen battle:

First place winner -- Smokena on the Water (Lincoln-Way/Andrew High Schools)

Second place winner -- Act Naturally (OLCHS/OLHMS)

Third place winner -- goggleboi (Shepard High School)