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Talent Runs Rampant in Montville

Township's first Rampant Festival features seven bands.

Ellen Oxild, Neighbor

Posted Sun, Oct 17, 2010 at 6:38 pm ET|Updated Mon, Oct 18, 2010 at 9:35 pm ET

Listening to live music is fun, but even more so when the musicians happen to be kids from your town.

On Saturday, seven bands performed live throughout the afternoon at the first Rampant Festival held at the Montville Amphitheatre. Five of the bands were comprised of young students from local townships.

The show was created by members of the musical group B.A.N.G., and launched with the assistance of Montville youth coordinators Ryan Cooper and Joe Daughtry and Montville Drug Awareness Council Chairman Karl Fisher. B.A.N.G.'s bass guitarist, Rick Santos, said the idea was to give local bands an opportunity to play to a whole town instead of just a small audience that often consists of friends and family.

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Despite a cold wind, a fair amount of people arrived for the opening band, 287, an alternative rock group that began in 2008 as three kids jamming in a basement. Ninth-grade lead vocalist and drummer David Vinder said he looked forward to seeing all other the bands together in a local venue. He sees them at school, he said, but they all play at separate gigs and now could be in one place. David's dad, Tal, manages the band.

Touch of Sable was up next, an alternative rock group featuring two female vocalists, and clean acoustic guitar. The lead singer invited the audience to suggest a name for her song.

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They were followed by "Alter the Ending," a pop punk rock foursome whose members were in eighth and ninth grades. They made it to the Bamboozle festival's semifinals and are heading to Starland Ballroom on Nov 14.

A $10,000 prize will be split between all the top finalists at that show. Band member Andrew Pacheco said competition is tough. According to him, if the band wins, the money will go toward recording time, new instruments, gear and speakers.

Next up was Valhalla, a local band that has played all over the state, including sets at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, Great Adventure Six Flags and Bamboozle Giant Stadium. Their acoustic, alternative rock includes originals and covers. The audience tripled in size when they got on stage.

The sun came out just in time for Grey Campaign, a group of polished musicians in their early 30s. They had a rich, cool sound and musical synergy: a combo of jazz, blues, metal, punk, and "rockin' soul," according to A.T. Hunte, vocalist and newest band member.

"It's time that music changes to escape genres. Play what feels right. Awkward collaborations often work," he said.

The five musicians responsible for initiating this event, B.A.N.G, were next.

"Music is something I extract a lot of pleasure from and want to do it till the day I die," lead singer Mike Ripley said.

Eighth-grade drummer Max Laurenzi, the band's youngest musician, started at age 10 and hopes for a future in music.

The band's genre is called "Screamo;" fast and abrasive with dissonant chords and riffs, and a combination of singing and screaming. They do some synchronized steps and jumps. With the energy needed to perform at this level, it's good to be young.

Gold, the headlining band, had a style called metalcore. It uses harsh vocals mixed with clean vocals. The lead vocalist surprised everyone by climbing up the amphitheater structure and holding on while singing. After Gold ended the concert, they took off to play another gig.

Valhalla is currently looking for a drummer, male or female. To try out, call 973-800-7000 or matari1@aol.com.

Thanks to DAC and volunteers from Montville Kiwanis, burgers, hot dogs, soda and hot coffee were served up free of charge.

Meet the Bands

287