Story by Jacqueline Haworth
Photos by Rachel Baker and Andy Abeyta

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This year Ethos Magazine partnered with Ninkasi Brewery and Emerald Media Group to showcase three local bands at the fourth annual Bandest of the Bands competition. Mufassa, Small Joys, and The Groundblooms battled for a photo shoot and article in the next issue of Ethos Magazine.
This year Bandest of the Bands was held at the WOW Hall, home of the non-profit Community Center for the Performing Arts, located at eighth and Lincoln in downtown Eugene. The event took place on January 25,2013.
Most event goers heard about the event through social media, such as Facebook and the WOW Hall’s event page, but also by word of mouth, through friends and members of the performing bands.
Mufassa kicked off the night in the dimly lit and warmly wooded WOW hall with a small audience. Mufassa’s insistent guitar sound and double drums forced the speakers in the WOW Hall to vibrate.
The room was the fullest it would be all night when Small Joys hit the stage with their folky instrumentation. The crowd visibly connected with the music for the first time, stomping and dancing to the beat. Their lyrics are heartfelt and are all original to the band. Individuals expressed their admiration for Small Joys and their music. “They had a lot of emotion and power behind them, and a lot of spirit,” a woman near the stage says.
The WOW Hall is a small venue, but for the groups performing it was a new level of venue. The Groundblooms and Small Joys are used to performing in bars and open mic nights around Eugene. “We’re used to playing rooms that are about the size of a closet, so it was nice to be on a stage where they could actually move around and interact with each other,” Michael Knackstedt, the vocal and guitar talent of The Groundblooms, says.
The winning band is decided by audience applause at the end of the night. Small Joys and The Groundblooms were neck and neck, but in the end Small Joys won out and took the stage for an encore performance—they played and upbeat cover of a Neutral Milk Hotel song. “You wouldn’t believe the chemistry we all have up there,” says the tenor sax player, a friend of the bands from Portland, “We’re family; it’s beautiful.”
Despite their second place standing, The Groundblooms also connected well with the audience. The persistent noise and pop rock beats provoked movement from listeners. They were intense to the point that Knackstedt broke the strings of his guitar and had to ask to borrow a guitar from Small Joys, who happily lent them one.
The Groundblooms covered music from the Zelda videogames. “If you knew what that was, you’re probably too nerdy to be here,” guitarist Max Knackstedt says.
The crowed proved him wrong by wanting more music and showing off a few tri-force tattoos. The band invited everyone to a tattoo after-party so everyone could get a tri-force tattoo. The band add that they “actually have had rehearsals just for this…we have been working on these Zelda songs…we were going to make our own tunics, that’s how dedicated we are.” Max says they try to “be more social with the audience.” This was undoubtedly achieved last Friday night.
After the show, Michael Knackstedt (vocals, guitar) and his brother Max Knackstedt (guitar) were more than willing to talk about their performance: “We had a blast! It was a lot of fun,” Michael says. “Small Joys and Mufassa were both phenomenal. We were friends with a lot of them before the show and it was just great to see ‘em and play with ‘em; it was awesome.”
When asked about their favorite part of their own performance Michael says, “this is the first Bandest of the Bands we’ve ever played, so we kinda just wanted to go in and have a good time and be a little silly, so…we just rolled with it and had a good time.”
“The Zelda themes that we did; that was the best part,” bassist Mike Dunavant noted.
The audience seemed to agree. “I bought Groundbloom’s CD,” a new fan says. “I like them a lot and I cheered for them really loud, but they didn’t win. I loved their take on Zelda.”
The night was an overall success. Event goers had the opportunity to learn about new local bands and about Ethos magazine and their contribution to the community. Many expressed their enjoyment of the event and their intent to attend next year’s Bandest of the Bands.