Last night eight bands invaded Neumo’s, all hoping to be declared the big winner in the first annual Pagliacci Battle of the Bands. The all-ages show was also a benefit for the Vera Project.

Matt Vaughn (owner of Easy Street Records), Garrett Lunceford (of the Divorce), and myself were judges for the night, and we scored each band on a scale of 0-10 in areas like song arrangement, creativity and originality, and audience satisfaction. Sure, an eight band line-up is pretty brutal, but thankfully there was a lot of variety—everything from singer/songwriter acts to a bluegrass band to raucous punk rock. The only requirement was that the band had to feature at least one Pagliacci employee.

The line-up (from first to last) was: Chris Rifle, Anaphase, Joy Wants Eternity, Bugdozer, Jangle Bones, Road to Ruin, Rebecca Johnston, and Iceage Cobra.

Joy Wants Eternity was an impressive instrumental act. They don’t hide the fact that they’re heavily influenced by My Bloody Valentine, and their songs are really dynamic and full of rich, atmospheric sounds. Iceage Cobra was a highlight too. Their set was a little sloppy, but their punked-up classic rock boasted a lot of cock-rock bravado, which was fun to watch. Halfway through the set, one of the members of the Emergency hopped onstage to help out with vocals, and I can’t be sure, but I think the singer kicked himself in the head at one point. While playing guitar. Holy flexible, Batman.

In the end, it was local punks Road to Ruin who took home the bragging rights and trophy. When they got on stage to accept their prize, instead of giving a speech, they decided to end the night with an a capella version of Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” Niiice.

The big winner of the night, though, was the Vera Project. Pagliacci donated $5,000 to the all-ages organization.