Battle of the titans: Elvis vs Elvis at the 1078

Originally published Feb. 22, 2007 in The Buzz

Music lovers crowded 1078 Gallery in downtown Chico Friday in hopes of reuniting their lost love of the Elvises, as 17 Chico bands covered songs by Elvis Presley and Elvis Costello.

The Zombats kicked off the night with Presley's "Trouble." With lyrics like, "If you're looking for trouble, you came to the right place," it was the perfect way to start the gruesome battle. The Zombats' moody sound seemed to in fact, bring Presley back from the dead.

Following The Zombats' one-song argument in defense of Presley, a red record player was turned on to spin both Presley and Costello records.

The faint volume and hiss of the record player gave an eerie feeling of lost love. It was as if the room transcended everyone decades into the past.

Up next was Rev. Junkyard Moondog with his rebuttal in defense of Costello. Before playing "Pump It Up," Moondog proclaimed he was going to prove that while "real rock comes from the heart, real heart comes from the rock."

He took the rocks suspended form his neck, tied with strings, and literally rocked out, inspiring the first crowd sing-along of the night.

Chico State University student Martin Svec cited Moondog as his favorite performance of the night.

Although Svec attended the show in support of Costello, the Gorgeous Armada's Presley performance also ranked high in his book, he said.

The Gorgeous Armada took the stage and welcomed everyone to "the memorial," calling its performance an interpretive dance.

The band gathered around one microphone and hummed "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)."

Band member Handsome Gorgeous, dressed in boxers and a bathrobe, placed a chair, labeled "toilet," in front of the stage. He took a drink out of a bottle in hand and choked down some pills. As legend says, he proceeded to die on the toilet.

The audience cheered in disbelief.

every move of the dance was like watching a suspense movie. You knew what was going to happen next, but you did not believe it would actually happen.

The Gorgeous Armada proved that a lot can be said without even saying a word.

On the other hand, words can get a point across as well. The Shankers made it clear whose side they were on.

"I think Mr. Costello sucks," said lead singer Johnny Shanker.

The Shankers' fast-paced renditions of Presley's "That's All Right" and "Heartbreak Hotel" got the audience on its feet and asking for more.

Following with the same opening song, Gruk gave Presley's' "That's All Right" and "Jailhouse Rock" a faster-paced punk spin.

Lead singer Rachel Loveless began each song with melodic vocals, but quickly changed the pace with aggressive screaming, switching back and forth.

While Gruk made each Presley song its own, it was not hard to choose between Presley and Costello, said drummer Sean Cummins.

"Presley is slight more punk rock," he said.

To prepare for the performance, the band listened to original songs repeatedly and searched for guitar tabs on the Internet, Cummins said. While they wanted to play the songs as close to the original, the had fun practicing them at different speeds.

Gruk's aggressive performance made a solid case for Presley, but by the end of the night Costello won 9 to 8. However, that is based on the number of bands who chose a side.

No winner was officially announced.

The only clear winners where 1078 Gallery and the Suburban American Tract Home compilation, which raised $600 from the door.

The night proved that Chico has respect for rock's forefathers and talent of eclectic styles of music. Each band brought its own style to the table, but it would have been nice to see no repeated songs.

While Jessica O'Donnell attended the show to support Costello, she would have liked to seen a band perform Presley's "Blue Suede Shoes," she said.

O'Donnell and others will just have to wait for the next time Presley and Costello cross paths. Judging by the night's close race, a rematch might come sooner than later.