Kimmy Gibbler takes title again
A little after noon on April 26, in the mid-day sun in the Memorial Union South Parking lot, the first of eight bands competed for the coveted title of Battle of the Bands winner.
The crowd, a complacent group of still-groggy students, watched from a distance, some from within the confines of the makeshift orange fence and some mingling amongst what would later amount to a decent-sized mosh pit.
The first band to take the stage was The Great Frog Society, followed by NeX, Beggar’s Cut, These Hearts Turn Quickly, Kimmy Gibbler, Seafoam V, Pilot and then finally Eminence Cell.
The judging committee, which included a mix of students and NDSU faculty, watched – fueled by free pizza and the mounting energy of the crowd.
The judges tallied while each band played, using criteria such as band originality, crowd participation and overall performance.
“For me, band originality is probably the most important factor,” said Phil Sarnoff, the NDSU Outdoor Programming director, sitting on the panel of judges.
Others commented that individual music preference was difficult to overlook as an objective observer and judge.
Although the judges declared Kimmy Gibbler the official winner Thursday evening – for the second year in a row – the band was unable to play at Band Day Friday afternoon due to the absence of lead singer and guitarist Gavin Hetletved.
Hetletved, a senior in music at MSUM, was unable to attend due to a student teaching requirement that needed to be fulfilled for graduation.
Instead, second place finishers Pilot were awarded the chance to perform the $300 gig with regional rock group Holiday.
Pilot took the stage Friday afternoon while students enjoyed the free hot dogs, burgers, chips and Frisbees that were provided at the event.
Their set completed a little before 2 p.m. when The Diversion Scene was set to take the stage, who were then followed by Holiday around 3 p.m. and The High Court before 5 p.m.
While perhaps a bit discouraged with their lost opportunity, Kimmy Gibbler know they captured the hearts of both the audience and judges.
In fact, the crowd size grew considerably when Kimmy Gibbler took the stage Thursday, bringing hundreds of NDSU students to their feet.
Kimmy Gibbler’s lineup includes Hetletved, bassist Mike Jensen, drummer Mike Goodwin, saxophonist Mark Henning and trumpeter Ron Storhaug – four seniors and one sophomore, respectively.
When they’re not recording and busy with schoolwork, the members of Kimmy Gibbler frequently play at local clubs and bars, including the Red Raven, the Nestor, the VFW and the Aquarium, a popular live music club located above Dempsey’s Public House on Broadway.
The group recently played the Beta Beta Bowl, Alpha Gamma Delta’s annual formal, and will perform at tomorrow’s KNDS Block Party, the annual ThunderRadio fundraiser.
Though the band admits the ska genre is an old fad and all but dead, the realization doesn’t stop the group from playing the music they all love.
When Kimmy Gibbler held their CD-release party two weeks ago, they were joined by local favorite Chicken Poodle Soup, a ska band out of Minneapolis.
When ska legends Reel Big Fish came to Fargo last fall, Kimmy Gibbler tried – and unfortunately failed – to open for the band.
According to Storhaug, a sophomore in economics and the youngest member of the band, the band has no problem finding music to play.
“We have a lot of songs we can play,” Storhaug said. “We just take an old song and make it ska.”
The group spent the past winter and most of the fall recording their debut album Kimmy Gibbler, featuring 11 original songs they wrote and produced themselves.
The album was finished only one week before Battle of the Bands, and was sold after their performance along with Kimmy Gibbler t-shirts.
Despite Kimmy Gibbler’s success at NDSU and in the Fargo-Moorhead area, Storhaug believes the band’s future will be short lived, due to the upcoming graduation and Hetledved’s recent knot-tying. Storhaug himself is planning on attending law school after he graduates.
“I think we’ll all go our separate ways,” Storhaug said. “We’re just a band here to have fun.”