Starcraft to Pluto dominates HYSB Battle of the Bands

FALLS VILLAGE — The group Starcraft to Pluto won both the first place and People’s Choice awards at the Housatonic Youth Service Bureau’s Battle of the Bands Saturday, April 30, at Housatonic Valley Regional High School.Starcraft to Pluto, with Ben Paley on guitar, Van Daalhuyzen on bass, Dylan Vadakin on drums and Michael Kenny on vocals won a total of $800, playing a set of two instrumental numbers and one with Kenny’s vocals. Kenny played Sky Masterson in the high school’s spring production of “Guys and Dolls.”The runner-up, and winner of a $400 prize, was a band from The Hotchkiss School, called We’ll Do It Live, with Franklin Darnis and Frina Lin on vocals, Chris Min and Jonathan Lo on guitars and Robert Lazama on drums. They delivered a show-stopping version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.”The judges were Steve Katz (of Blood, Sweat and Tears and a three-time Grammy winner), Brook Martinez (leader of Brooklyn Qawwali Party, an 11-piece ensemble), Mike Piraneo ( music teacher at Lee Kellogg School) and Mimi Ramos Harney (a musician and creative designer). Emcee Jon Grusauskas kept a steady patter up between sets, interviewing the musicians and giving away T-shirts for correct answers to trivia questions.Opening the bill were The Millertonites, a group of elementary school children. Closing the night with a Bob Marley tribute was an an all-star group of Battle of the Bands alumni, with members of YOY, Big Ginger, Just be Giraffe/the Dream Angels and lespecial.YOY’s Pat Surdam, who was serving as stage manager, also came out and did quick boomerang tosses between acts. Surdam has competed internationally in boomerang competitions. The winners of a raffle for two Fender guitars were Benjamin Scaldini of Warren, who won a Highway One Stratocaster; and Jim Katzin of Litchfield, who took home a Highway One Precision Bass. Each guitar had a retail value of over $1,000. Both were donated by Fender Guitar.The Millertonites are Grusauskas’ private students at his studio in Millerton, and are between the ages of 7 and 11. “They’ve been studying with me for almost two years now, with a focus on groove-based dance music like traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms, funk, and even Michael Jackson,” said Grusauskas. (They opened the show with a version of Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” complete with moonwalking.)The net proceeds from the Battle of the Bands, now in its seventh year, benefit the programs and services of HYSB, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting youth and families in Northwest Connecticut.

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