Westerly – Senior Roan Doyle of Westerly High School has always been passionate about live music, so when it’s time to work on his senior projects it makes sense that music will be the forefront and center.
Doyle’s project has actually turned into an event. A big event. This is a two-part musical event called “United Battle of the Band” held at the Knickerbocker Music Center late last month.
“I knew my senior project wanted to revolve around music,” Doyle said in an email Monday night.
Part 1 of the first “United Battle of the Band” featured six rock bands from Rhode Island and Connecticut. Everyone competes to create a second and final round.
“Nick was amazing,” he said, with a band from United Music School! said Doyle, who plays lead guitar. “The atmosphere from everyone was great and I wouldn’t have been able to ask for a better show.”
The first round raised over $1,000. This is directed at a scholarship fund for young musicians who want to take part in United Music School classes.
“The band was very supportive,” said Doyle, who plans to attend Providence College in the fall.
But Doyle was the mother of predictions.
“It’s very difficult to predict with three top bands,” he said. “It could be one of them. They all deserve victory.”
The three bands compete in the final are the loose, purple tide and Corvus. The loose band members include Jacob Herwood, Griffin Mandes, Leo Paradise, Markerminer and Michael Rasbun. Purple Tide, Blake Gere, Henry Pleil, Thadeus Santoro, and Logan Duranti. Corvus, Brendan Speck, Jake Wagner, Oliver Kasprzak, and Liam Young.
The winner will win the Epiphone thrash-les-pole standard with an anaconda burst and $500 in cash.
Doyle paid special tribute to his mentor Tom Foley, director of United Music School, “for the very supportiveness of all the bands that participated, the local businesses that funded the event, and my family.”
Doyle is no stranger to fundraising or hardworking. His band has performed at Paddy’s beach club, co-owned by his father Paul and working many times over the summer, and he once had another fundraiser for another local nonprofit, the Western Education Fund.
