Schuba’s hosted a magnificent Battle of the Bands, pitting 4 up and coming Chicago acts against each other for a chance to open up for legendary band, The Roots, all for a great cause. Proceeds for the event went to the alliance of the Great Lakes to help protect our wondrous Lakes.
White Mystery opened the show with their theatrical sibling rock and roll. Alex White commanded the crowd and Francis White made sure everyone got really weird.
Ric Wilson took the stage next and brought the crowd to their knees. Funk , Soul and Dance driven hip hop is best experience with a full band, and Ric Wilson has assembled a great one. Featuring Boyang Matsapola on Bass, Sam Veren on Trumpet, Lucas Greco on guitar, Eddie Burns on drums, and Isaiah Oby on the keys, these guys know how to get the crowd going.
And they did just that, literally getting some butts shaking by creating a Soul Train Line down the middle of the venue. The crowd seemed to be entranced by his music and moves, chanting the words and dancing along.
Lilli K came up next and kept the funk, soul and R & B vibes going on with her own confident twist on the genre.She brought some sass and commanded the stage, keeping the good vibes going. The full band seems to be the way to go.
Last up was the suburban band Modern Vices. Their laid back throwback rock and roll was a perfect way to cap the night. They absolutely wailed on the solos with perfect group chemistry. I definitely found their latest album as soon as I got home.
At the end of the night it was hard to tell who would be victorious, each band had a ton of fans at the ready to vote for them at the end of the night.
Ric Wilson piled up the most votes, taking the Tour de Fat crown, and with it the opportunity to open up for the Roots!
We’re definitely looking forward to hearing more from him and are so excited to see him progress towards stardom!
