The Battle Royale - Sparkle Dust Fantasy
ARTIST.....: The Battle Royale
TITLE......: Sparkle Dust Fantasy
LABEL......: Afternoon Records
URL........: www.myspace.com/thebattleroyalemusic
RIP DATE...: Oct-08-2006
STORE DATE.: Sep-26-2006
GENRE......: Indie
QUALITY....: VBR / 44.1Hz / Joint-Stereo
SIZE.......: 39,9 MB
Track Listing:
01 - You'll Be Fine 02:06
02 - Oh Martha 04:01
03 - Jackpot 03:18
04 - Confessions 02:57
05 - My Way 03:06
06 - Stun 02:28
07 - Pirates 02:36
08 - What Could We Do? 03:01
09 - Folk Song 04:40
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28:13 min
Release Notes:
www.afternoonrecords.com
Afternoon's latest release, "Sparkle Dust Fantasy" by boy/girl
electro-punk band the Battle Royale (formally C-Section), comes
from a group of Minneapolis Southwest High students.
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Standing atop a large wooden exhibit in the Walker Art Center's
Target Gallery, The Battle Royale launches into their electro-
indie hit, "Oh Martha." Below, models outfitted in Uptown-worthy
prom gear strut circles around the spiraling stage, pausing to
shake their bodies to the dance club beats.
This recent concert illustrates the unusual heights high schoolers
Mark Ritsema (keys/vocals), Sam Robertson (organ/vocals), Grace
Fiddler (bass/vocals) and John Pelant (guitar) have reached since
they began playing together in 2005. But their organ-heavy music
of late is a far cry from the band's beginnings.
"We started as a folk band," Fiddler said, sitting at a table in
Caribou Coffee, where Pelant works after school.
Wearing a black smock, Pelant alternates between serving customers
iced drinks and joining the discussion.
"We did it as a joke, kind of," Robertson added. "We would make up
our lyrics as we recorded."
The results were songs about snowmen, the candy store, a high
school football team and caffeine.
"They were pretty ridiculous," he admitted.
Ritsema's uncle gave him a garage sale-bought keyboard with "all
these weird techno settings on it." Ritsema then made the
executive decision to switch over to dance music. A wise choice,
considering their first song, "My Nikes," was an instant hit with
Radio K.
They simultaneously submitted "Hey Girl," a rap about getting
under a Catholic schoolgirl's pleated skirt. The song helped
secure them a spot in First Avenue's Battle of the Underage
Underground competition, where they won first place. Their prize
was a one CD deal with Ian Anderson's local label, Afternoon
Records.
At the time, the foursome went by the moniker C-Section. When they
realized people were taking them seriously as musicians, the group
decided to choose a "real name." They opted for The Battle Royale,
the title of a controversial Japanese film in which a group of
ninth graders are deserted on an island, given weapons and forced
to hunt each other down until one student remains.
So who would survive if the band members were pitted against each
other?s
"I would," Robertson said.
"Sam's feisty, but would you guys really kill a girl?" Fiddler
asked.
The guys all immediately agreed they would.
"The thing is, there are certain parts on the island you can't be
or else your neck thing explodes and your head will blow off,"
Ritsema said (he's the only one who's actually seen the movie).
"So people get confused a lot of times and I'm pretty sure Grace
would be...."
"No," Fiddler interrupted. "I would use my mind more. You guys
would just run around."
"It depends on what weapon you have," Ritsema said.
"I would just hide and bite people's ankles," Robertson said. He
reconsiders, deciding he'd rather wield high-voltage rock music.
"I'd blow your mind," he exclaimed, with a wavery voice and wide
eyes.
Fiddler and Ritsema think Pelant would be the sole survivor if
weapons were taken out of the equation.
Really?" Pelant asked, incredulously.
"Well, you have weight training man," Fiddler reasoned.
"Not really ... well, sort of," Pelant said, as everyone burst
into laughter.
"You're ripped," Robertson said. "For, ya know...."
"...a guy in a band," Fiddler finished.
The talk turns back to weapons, samurai swords, light sabers and
"anything that makes you bleed out the eyes" are considered,
before moving on to more pressing topics, like college admittance
tests.
Fiddler and Robertson took their SATs two days earlier, before
opening for One For the Team's CD release show at the Triple Rock.
That same night, The Battle Royale announced their (bogus) plans
to become a Christian band and tour churches. The group then
performed "Oh Martha," with the lyrics changed to "Oh Jesus."
(riftmagazine.com)