Pearl Parade prevails, UNL’s homecoming Battle of the Bands recap
- izzylewismedia8
- Oct 7, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: May 28, 2025
Pearl Parade and The Breakroom battled it out Friday night at Memorial Stadium East Plaza at Cornchella, following the homecoming parade. After the audience voted, Pearl Parade received $750 for their first place finish, and The Breakroom received $250.
Battle of the Bands, organized by the University Program Council (UPC), provided an opportunity for six bands, with ties to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to compete. Two of these bands included The Breakroom and Pearl Parade, who went on to battle it out at the Bourbon Theater on Oct. 2 for a spot in the championship.
Pearl Parade (1st Place)
Pearl Parade’s sound indulges in the “sonic sounds” of the 90s. Lead singer Noah Trumble, a junior emerging media arts major, describes the band’s music as having alternative rock, grunge and ska influences.
Other members of Pearl Parade include drummer Aidan Klein, lead guitarist Johnny Spahn and bassist Zak Reese, a UNL graduate student.
Trumble started making music by himself his senior year of high school. He wanted to start a band, which led him to reach out to Klein, a senior nutritional science and dietetics major, who Trumble was in jazz band with at the time.
“When we first started out as a band, especially coming just out of high school, I would get really nervous and in my head about performing with other bands because I was so new to this scene,” Trumble said. “But as we've grown, I love playing with bands around Lincoln and meeting new people. I'm really excited to meet other people that go to the university and also play in a band, because that's more common ground to connect with them.”
From there, they connected with other members and played their first gig in February 2022. They released their debut self-titled album in 2022. In 2023, their sophomore album “Pearly Whites” was released.
“As a person in a local band, especially filled with students, it means the world to see people come out,” Trumble said. “Especially people in our own personal lives, and strangers to come out and support. It's just a fun night, and it means the world to the people that are taking part and that organized the event.”
Pearl Parade performed all original songs for both their preliminary and finals performances. Audiences voted for Pearl Parade each night to advance them to the finals and for them to win Battle of the Bands.
The Breakroom (2nd Place)
The Breakroom is a classic swing rock band, characterized by the experimental nature of their music. They draw inspiration from indie-southern rock. Lead singer Simon Nabb encourages people to listen to their music and decide for themselves.
Brothers Simon and Isaac Nabb have been making music together for most of their lives and played in other bands prior to the creation of The Breakroom. While in practice sessions, the band would hang out in a room they called “the breakroom.” Thus, the name for the band was born out of a way to commemorate the good company the band shared.
Other members of The Breakroom include drummer Bennett Woody, a senior advertising and public relations major, guitarist Ryan Jelinek, a senior construction management major, and bassist Ross Fraser.
The Breakroom has released a few singles including “The Look,” “Green Eyes” and “Demons Make Terrible Roommates.”
“We want to play for new people, that’s the general goal,” Simon Nabb said. “Winning money, don’t get me wrong, would be nice to fuel recording projects, but at the same time, if we can put our music in front of new ears, that's all I really want to do.”
The Breakroom performed mostly originals for both nights, but also covered “Fireflies” by Owl City. They opened their finale performance at the Cornstock Festival on Friday with a fifteen minute set.
Joyrager
Joyrager is an alternative rock band whose third live performance ever was at this year’s Battle of the Bands. Prior to their Battle of the Bands performance, Joyrager had gigs at the Zoo Bar and Duffy’s.
The three core members of the band, vocalist Alex Hesser, guitarist Ian Vincentini and bassist Atticus Fina, met in sixth grade and started playing music together their junior year of high school in another band. In 2023, going into their freshman year of college, they started Joyrager.
Other members of Joyrager include keyboardist Zachary Jacobsen, a junior chemistry and music major, and drummer Matthew Olson.
In May, Joyrager released their first EP, “The Plunge.” The goal of the five tracks on the record was to be experimental with their music.
“We feel like we have a lot to prove,” Hesser, a sophomore broadcasting major, said. “We know a lot of the other bands that are going to be playing. So we just want to make a great impression.”
Wicked Bones
Wicked Bones is a funk rock band, with 70s heavy rock and blues influence.
The band started in late 2019 and began playing various shows, without recording any music. In 2022, after some shifting dynamics, the future of the band was uncertain. Lead singer Marshall Johnson and lead guitarist James Riva, both alumni of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, were all that was left.
When the band had an opportunity to play at Lincoln Exposed 2024, they needed a bassist and drummer. They reached out to Jobe Sullivan and Tommy Simon who Johnson had worked with briefly in the past.
Those four started recording Wicked Bones’ debut self-titled album in October 2023. The album was released in September 2024, and their entire setlist at Battle of the Bands consisted of songs from that record.
“Being all recent grads or students at UNL and this being for homecoming, it’s really exciting to be able to support our alma mater,” Johnson said.
Members of Wicked Bones include Johnson, Riva, Sullivan, Simon and Battle of the Bands drummer Kyle Linhardt.
JIBLETS
JIBLETS is a modern metalcore band, defined by the distorted sounds of metal with a more airy feel.
JIBLETS started when the band members were in middle school in 2019 as a jazz rock band. Over time, the band shifted into the metal genre. The band has played at least one show every month this year and worked with other bands from around the country.
The band has more gigs ahead of them, such as Terror Fest at the 1867 bar on Nov. 1. JIBLETS also has an album coming out and a merch line releasing.
“I’m excited to hear how (the other bands) sound and how other college kids are utilizing their creativity and expressing themselves in other ways than mine,” frontman Joey Walter, a freshman biochemistry major, said.
Members of JIBLETS include frontman and rhythm guitarist Walter, drummer Jackson Otto and guitarist Jay Schneider, a freshman mechanical engineering major.
Drew Phillips Band
Drew Phillips Band is a country style rock band that has alternative influences.
Lead singer and frontman Drew Phillips started playing acoustic performances two years ago in North Platte. He eventually booked a gig he needed a band for and reached out to drummer Andrew Connelly. Conelley then connected with a guitarist and bassist in North Platte to play the show.
Since then, all the current band members live in Lincoln. The band has played around 200 shows since their initial gig. They released their most recent single, “Forget About Me” in September.
“We want to come in and watch a good show, first and foremost, and make some friends,” Phillips said. “We're pretty new to the Lincoln music scene, so (we) definitely (want to start) mingling and having fun and we want to play a great show.”
Members of Drew Phillips Band include singer Phillips, drummer Connelly, guitarist Landry Geiger, a senior computer science major and bassist Eli Skalka, a senior secondary education major.
Battle of the Bands was a main event for UNL’s homecoming celebration.
Published for the Daily Nebraskan, read here.
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