Laura Klinduch and Natalie Resimes know how to rock. The first year students won The Intercollegiate Battle of the Bands at Trent University on Saturday, March 2, with a powerhouse performance that shook the walls of Wenjack Theatre. The alternative rock duo, who calls themselves Watershed Hour, narrowly defeated I, the Mountain, before an enthusiastic audience of more than 200. Tianamen Square Dance was a close third.

The Intercollegiate Battle of the Bands featured seven groups from three of Trent’s colleges: Watershed Hour, I The Mountain, and Tianamen Square Dance from Otonabee College; No Locals, The Black Eyed Keys, and Suits and Toques from Champlain College; and Television Road from Lady Eaton College. The annual competition is sponsored by the Trent University Music Society (TUMS).

“TUMS was formed 42 years ago as an outlet for musicians at Trent,” said Adam Brown, president of TUMS and a third year Sociology student. “This is the fifth year for The Battle of the Bands. The competition showcases the rock and pop talent here at Trent, and gives the bands an opportunity to perform on a stage in front of their fellow students.”

The event was emceed by Matthew Bujaki, a past president of TUMS, who is currently studying Politics at Trent. He oversaw the battle resplendent in an army general’s helmet and trench coat.

Mr. Brown said that TUMS provides all of the prizes, which included $500 and eight hours of studio recording time for the winning band, and cash prizes of $300 and $200 for the runner-up bands. “The recording studio time helps to kick-start a band’s career. Past winners have gone on to bigger and better things,” he said.

Choosing a winner proved a challenging task for the panel of judges: Sam Quinn, Troy Wilson, and Professor Hugh Hodges of Trent’s English Literature department. The bands were judged on originality, creativity, audience interaction, musicianship, and overall stage presence. The seven acts provided a variety of styles and sounds for the judges to consider. In the end, the high intensity performance of the Watershed Hour duo won out over the folk rock sound of I, the Mountain, by a mere one point in the judges’ scoring.

Ms. Klinduch, the drummer for Watershed Hour, said that she and Ms. Resimes have been playing together since they were in grade seven. Watershed Hour recently recorded an EP of original music, entitled Bang With The van Gogh. “We’ll be able to use the recording time we’ve won tonight to get started on our next release,” said Ms. Klinduch, who is studying Psychology. Ms. Resimes, who plays bass and is lead singer, is a Forensic Science major.