Local band, Lou Lou Louie, once again is making headlines, this time thanks to a first-place finish at Norfolk’s Battle of the Bands.
The event, put on by Bespoke Entertainment, featured seven bands who threw down their jams on Aug. 9. Those bands included The Great Disappointment (hailing from the Holdredge area), Trinn Kneifl (of Norfolk), Between Monsters & Mercy (of Norfolk), Jerry and the Rat Bastards (of Lincoln), Neon Lights (of Norfolk), The 95 (from the Hartington area) and of course, Wayne’s own Lou Lou Louie. Many genres were played, ranging from folk to punk rock, with much in between.
“It was a really nice spread of different music,” said Eli Schroeder, who handles lead vocals for the Lou Lou Louie as well as playing rhythm guitar. “There were so many talented bands there, we were very fortunate to place first. We were very lucky to have a lot of fans come through, they were the biggest part of the atmosphere.”
Lou Lou Louie captivated the crowd, garnering 33% of the votes, according to the poll that was posted the night of the event on Norfolk’s official Battle of the Bands’ Facebook page.
“It’s pretty exciting,” said Travis Boock, who plays bass guitar and does backing vocals. “Because usually when we play shows, we play with bands we’ve played with before. Battle of the Bands was different because we only knew one of the bands that was playing that night.”
Despite the event portraying a battle, as in the name, Lou Lou Louie saw it less as a competition and more as an opportunity, according to drummer Matt Williams.
“I don’t really see it as a competition, just kind of put your best show forward, and see what the judges say,” said Williams. “If you get a better score, you win, you know? I wasn’t there, personally, to do better than the other bands, just wanted to put our best show forward and we did.”
“It didn’t feel like competing because everyone was there to put on a show,” said Boock.
Luke Walters, who plays lead guitar, explained that competition wasn’t the mindset at all. “My mindset for all our gigs is always, I’m just happy to play music. When we were at Battle of the Bands, I didn’t think anything of competing. I was just there, happy to play music, and there happened to be an award.”
The band detailed plans for an EP, or extended play, and plans to hit the road next summer too.
“Compared to what we have out already, which is just our one song (referring to their release of “Coolmathgames.com Ruined My Mom’s Computer”), we have three other originals we’re working on recording, then we’re writing one more to end the EP.”
For those who haven’t heard Lou Lou Louie yet, you can check them out on Spotify and Apple Music. If you’re on the lookout for a live show, follow them on Instagram @louloulouieband for all band announcements.
