Local bands make splash at Alive @ Five

As the Woulda Coulda Shouldas finished up their sound check with a song called "Do I Do," the crowds slowly started to roll in to July 8's Alive @ Five concert, headlined by Rusted Root.

The band walked offstage and turned to a cooler of cold water bottles, its drummer wiping sweat from his forehead.

"That giant fan over there is our biggest fan yet," Phil Osgood said, pointing to the massive fan blowing cool air over the stage.

The Woulda Coulda Shouldas were one of three bands voted to open for the headliners at this summer's Alive @ Five concert series, presented by the Stamford Downtown Special Services District, after the city's first-ever Battle of the Bands competition leading up to the annual concert series.

All of the members from the unsigned band hail from Fairfield County, two-thirds of whom are from Rowayton, and deem themselves "an original band" with a mesh of indie, pop, alternative and rock sounds.

The members all said that if they could open for anyone ever, it would be The Beatles, but a modern-day favorite is Brooklyn-based Vampire Weekend.

The three bands were selected after three rounds of performances, with the final round serving as the deciding factor with a popular vote. The new event, which was organized by DSSD Events Coordinator David Klein, began with a group of 11 different bands.

"It took us more than six months to plan, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the results," Klein said. "All 11 bands were fabulous, and the final three were who the people most wanted to see."

Creating the Battle of the Bands competition, Klein said, was in response to the innumerable amount of submissions the DSSD receives each year for local bands vying for a spot at the coveted Columbus Park stage.

With just a half-hour until show time, the three members of the Woulda Coulda Shouldas -- lead singer Chris Sammons, bassist Alex Swift and drummer Osgood -- leaned against a bar in Tiernan's Bar & Restaurant, engaging in what they call some pre-show rituals.

"We like to have a beer or two and psych each other up a little bit with gut punches and push-ups," Swift said, nursing a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer can.

"We used to get a little bit of stage fright, but I think tonight, more than anything, we're just anxious because it's our biggest show ever."

At 4:50 p.m., Swift left the group to grab the set list and head over to the stage with 10 minutes until they were to begin their show.

"We don't have a manager, so we book our own shows, choose our own set list, manage our MySpace. We do everything," Sammons said. "We're just hoping to make a splash somewhere."

At 5 p.m., the Woulda Coulda Shouldas took the stage as more concertgoers began to arrive for Thursday evening happy hours. The band played for 45 minutes, the three members bouncing, shaking their hair and jumping around stage the entire time.

One Alive @ Five enthusiast leaned against the railing, mouthing over and over to himself, "They're unbelievable," raising his can to the stage.

"It wasn't our best show, but it was a really fun show. A lot of people came out, and we just hope they had a good time," Sammons said. "We can always gauge how well a show went by looking at the page views on our MySpace over the next few days."

The other Battle of the Bands winners were Superband and Ten Feet Deep. Superband opened for Marcy Playground and Seven Mary Three, while Ten Feet Deep opened for the Gin Blossoms and Soul Asylum.

Joey Ramos, of Superband, said that though they were not too familiar with all of their headliner's singles, they knew it would be great experience. The band auditioned for Battle of the Bands after a group of friends kept approaching them.

"We're a different style than most other bands," Ramos said. "Our three or four songwriters all have different sounds, from funky pop to almost like a bluegrass and country sound. We try to broaden the genre in our band."

Ramos said that for his band of six, the opportunity to play at Battle of the Bands and win, giving them a coveted opening slot for Alive @ Five, provided them the chance to broaden their music and play more than just popular cover songs.

Last week, the band gathered together to listen to a playback of their show, and he said they were "flabbergasted" by their sound and the quality of their show and musicianship.

For Superband, the day leading up to the show was not unlike any other. Ramos went to work but said he just wanted to get it over with and get in the zone for his show.

"It was a day I'll never forget," Ramos said. "We all just wanted to get there and start jamming. It's when we thrive, and we did. It was the best venue we've ever played for and one of the best performances we've ever had."