2 Weeks Ago

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Satellite's online rock-off winners are 2 Weeks Ago: Nick Rosendahl (left), Spencer Aston, Andrew Iski and Brandon Beach. KAT KNIGHT / Satellite Correspondent 2 good 2 be true By TRACY PFEIFFER Satellite Correspondent 3/2/2007 Just two weeks before the show, 2 Weeks Ago rocks into Battle There are some things in this world you just can't describe with words. The smell of coffee, for example. The English language fails, and in its place you supply a lot of perplexed exhaling and facial expressions. And then there's winning the sixth slot in the 2007 Satellite Battle of the Bands. That was the exact response from the boys of rock band 2 Weeks Ago when they were asked how it felt to win Satellite's online rock-off. 2 Weeks Ago competed against three other bands -- Valmont, Falling Together and Second Hand Glory -- in an online voting competition to win the sixth slot. The voting garnered more than 5,000 unique visitors about 30,000 votes. In the end, it was 2 Weeks Ago that rose to the top with more than 10,000 votes cast in its direction. The band is now in the run ning to win, among other prizes, a $1,000 Saied Music Store gift certificate, a professional recording session on board the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, and 1,000 custom CDs in full-color jacket and three-color on-disc printing courtesy of Disc Makers. "Can you even put it into words?" asked Brandon Beach, a junior at Jenks High School and the band's drummer. "We're most excited about being able to play at the Cain's," said vocalist/guitarist Spencer Aston, a senior at Jenks. "Even if we don't win, we'll have played at the Cain's Ballroom. That's the best part." In addition to Spencer and Brandon, there are Jenks senior Andrew Iski on guitar and bass as well as Tulsa Community College freshman Nick Rosendahl on guitar and bass. "I think it was Andrew's afro that won it for us," joked Brandon. "It helped people remember who we were." Despite stiff competition, the band hoped for the best throughout the voting period. "I was worried about some of the other bands," said Spencer. "But we were really optimistic, you know? It could've gone any direction." "Whether or not we won, I knew we'd get a lot of votes," added Andrew. "We just weren't sure we'd do that well." 2 Weeks Ago is an alternative rock band with a big, polished sound. Its music calls to mind bands such as Foo Fighters and Live with echoes of Breaking Benjamin and Switchfoot. Now that it has earned a spot in the battle, the band hopes to continue a successful campaign. Playing -- and winning -- at Cain's will be a tall order, but the boys are confident that they can handle the pressure. "We practice pretty steadily, like four or five days a week," said Andrew. "And we've written about 15 songs since we made it to the (rock-off) list," added Brandon. "Actually, like six," corrected Spencer with a laugh. "We practice a lot. You can't judge a band until they play live. I think bands have a whole different energy when they play shows. Our demo sounds terrible, but we are a lot better live." "The bands in the battle are all different and good in their own way," continued Andrew. "I think it'll be interesting to see how the other bands play." Conveniently, the band was informed of its victory just two weeks before the battle. Considering its luck with that time frame (the boys landed their first gig just two weeks after forming the band) and their notable talent, 2 Weeks Ago will hold its own in this year's battle. On the Web: myspace.com/2weeksago. Tracy Pfeiffer 581-8336 Cascia senior satellite@tulsaworld.com