This past Saturday, eleven of the finest bands in the area competed to try to “get a slice of the pie” by getting one of five slots to perform at Movin’ On, the Penn State music festival happening on Saturday, April 4. After an arduous battle exceeding 3 hours, with bands representing genres from across the board, the winners were finally chosen, consisting of the following:

Acalasia, a female-fronted punk/post hardcore band; The Sweet Mack, a soul-influenced rock power trio; Some Downtown Avenue, an energetic ska band; So Long, Pluto, an indie group featuring violin and electric mandolin; and Atlas Soundtrack, a Penn State supergroup mixing rap, reggae, rock, and more with ease (they shouted their band’s name after every song, just to hammer the point home that they are indeed Atlas Soundtrack).

We were greatly impressed by these fine musicians, as well as many of the other performers at the Battle of the Bands, such as TJ Cornwall and Matthew and the Judes (the latter had previously opened for Margot and the Nuclear So-and-Sos).

Onward State wants to know how you feel about the Battle of the Bands winners for Movin’ On 2k9. Are they not good enough? Are they so good that they overshadow this year’s headliner, The Spill Canvas? Or are you just bitter that Chumbawumba isn’t headlining? Leave a comment with your thoughts!