Music
Press
For metal proper, I also heard a few minutes of Sweet Pauli Pain at O'Malley's,who entertained with what sounded like a mix of Bowie and Motorhead.
- The Manhattan Mercury-G.W. Clift,Arts Critic
Wellington, Kan. -
Contestants in this year’s Wheat Festival Battle of the Bands rocked and rolled but in the end only one would walk away with the coveted prize of $500 and studio time.
Wellington based Sweet Pauli Pain, featuring members Sam Layton, Tim Klein, Jake Bockelman, Mickey Cashey and Rob Valdois were second up during the competition but placed first at the end of the night.
Another Wellington based band, Repentance, took home second, while The Brittle Lens of Wichita took third.Repentance closes out the night with a stellar performance.The Mobilization and The Canadian Lawyers also performed at the fight.
“I’m very surprised,” said lead vocalist Tim Klein of Sweet Pauli Pain, “Just because of all the technical difficulties. I thought it was a little too much to overcome,”
Klein chalks up the championship to one element — style.
“We have a new style that people are gonna dig,” he said.
Last year, the group had to back out of the Battle of the Bands for a paying gig in Wichita, something Klein wasn’t too thrilled about.
“I didn’t like that at all...but you know you just have to get paid and make money somehow,” the Wellington rocker said.
Third place winners The Brittle Lens were also first time performers at the Wheat Festival. Thrilled to have take a place in the winner’s circle, the group says they will be back.The Brittle Lens perform for the Wheat Festival crowd “It was fun. We love it here in Wellington,” said guitarist John Bomhoff.
“The crowd was really supportive,” said vocalist and guitarist Brock Shannon.
“We have a lot of good fans here in Wellington,” said back-up vocalist Erin Ayers.
Though together for almost two years, The Brittle Lens are relatively new to the rock game and say they are ecstatic to have a battle win under their belts.
“We had a great time,” said Shannon.
This year’s winners will be rocking out the surrounding area with Sweet Pauli Pain and The Mobilization playing tonight at 9 p.m. at the American Legion.
Repentance will be holding a gospel concert at 4 p.m., Sunday night at Slate Creek Lodge, and The Brittle Lens will be playing the Rack Em Up Club in Wichita, Thursday night with Darlin’ Maudie.
So will next year’s battle be just as fierce?
“Oh, we’ll be back,” said Klein.
- The Wellington Daily News,Wellington Kansas
Discography
Kill Em,Relax & Mingle-(2008)
Downtown Metal Compilation:Vol.14,,by Quickstar Productions-(2009)
Photos
Bio
Sweet Pauli Pain is an 5 man Hard Rock/Punk/blues/Alternative outfit straight outa’ the middle of nowhere Kansas, Wichita. We were formed together out the pure boredom of the Midwest and need to take the music we heard in our heads and bring it to life. All of us have played with one or another in different bands throughout our musical endeavors. Until recently when we were able to pull ourselves together to make the kind of music, that only the five of us wanted to and could only make. We all come from extremely mixed backgrounds of musical culture, there isn’t one bit of genre that we won’t dip into or invade. With a collective 20 years plus of musical experience, we make sure and put all that knowledge and imagination into good use. The first album is fresh out of the studio,(kill em’ relax and mingle). Loaded with slick tracks and loud in your face Hard Rock and Roll. No two songs are the same. We write for the pure joy and love of music, and bow to no niche or click format that is so common in today’s Hard Rock, Metal music media.
Links