Roving Reporter: Battle for Yardfest

Last Friday night, five of Harvard College’s talented student bands battled it out for the honor of opening up for this year’s Yardfest artist, Jessie J. The bands—Black Tie Affair, Xkaban Jones and Dorian Grusoe, the Instrinics, the Solars, and Bared Grillz—filled the Cambridge Queen’s Head Pub with ’90s alternative rock , the rhythm of soul and R&B, and the primal beats of “wilderness rap.” When the smoke finally cleared, Black Tie Affair and the Instrinics were victorious. With the energy levels of the pub overflowing, several people were eager to answer this Roving Reporter’s questions.

Samir S. Faza ’15, audience member

Roving Reporter: Have you ever been to Battle for Yardfest before?

Samir: Negativo! I figured I’d saved the best for senior year, and it’s always a pleasure to see our wonderful campus bar at full capacity beyond those unbeatable Wednesday wing nights.

RR: So what’s your favorite thing you’ve seen so far?

Samir: At Battle for Yardfest? The bands of course! Our campus is sprawling with unrecognized talent.

Dayne A. Davis ’16, audience member

RR: Have you ever been to Battle for Yardfest before?

Dayne: No, I haven’t.

RR: Why did you come out this time?

Dayne: I have a couple of friends who like the Intrinsics a lot, so I came out with them. I saw some of their YouTube videos, and they’re really good. I also enjoy listening to music and going to live concerts. I like brass instruments, too.

RR: Great! What kind of music are you into?

Dayne: Rock. I like a lot of ’90s rock band music.

RR: So you enjoyed the Black Tie Affair, I assume?

Dayne: Of course! I thought they were awesome!

Pranav Krishnan ’16, Black Tie Affair (guitarist)

Roving Reporter: How do you feel about Jessie J being this year’s Yardfest artist?

Pranav: I’m pumped for it. She’s a big name, so it’s really surprising that we got her. I only know two songs by her, “Domino” and “Bang Bang,” but they are very catchy.

RR: Do you have a favorite ’90s rock band?

Pranav: I would have to go with Guns and Roses, followed by John Mayer.

RR: John Mayer plays a lot of other music genres besides rock, like country and blues.

Pranav: Yes, but I admire him because he’s so good at guitar.

Vibav H. Mouli ’16, Black Tie Affair (vocals)

RR: Do you guys have any interesting quirks as a band?

Vibav: Funny you should ask that. I don’t know if you remember the TV show “Rocket Power.” It’s with the kids who love to skateboard. We love to watch “Rocket Power” together, and instead of doing handshakes for greetings, we do the “Woogity! Woogity! Woogity!” from “Rocket Power.” We also say “Let’s get weird” a lot and drink a lot of orange juice. That’s our kind of thing.

John B. Tournas ’16, the Intrinsics (Alto and Bari Sax player)

RR: Do you guys have any interesting quirks as a band?

John: I don’t know if we do anything quirky, but one interesting fact about us is that we all love D'Angelo. Besides that, we all love to get people [to] dance.

RR: Do you guys ever get nervous performing in front of such a large crowd?

John: I’m never really nervous. I played in enough gigs, and mess-ups happen. But there is no reason to be scared about them. They just happen and you play through them.

RR: How would you describe the music you guys play?

John: We mostly do soul music as well as classic ’60s with modern R&B, originals, and covers.

RR: Do you have a favorite soul musician?

John: Al Green…and D'Angelo.