Berklee Band Wins Rockus Battle

Rolling Stone Publisher on hand for final round of competition co-sponsored by the Rolling Stone Collection

Margot Edwards

April 23, 2009

<i>Rolling Stone</i> publisher Will Schenck was on hand for a press conference with the band Sex! on Harvard's campus before the concert. Left to right, Andy Burri, Schenck, Josh Hari, Skye Handler, John Adams, and Kyle Vandekerkhoff.

Photo by Jenavieve Varga

From left to right, Skye Handler, John Adams, Will Schenck, Andy Burri, Kyle Vandekerkhoff, and Josh Hari

Photo by Jenavieve Varga

Sky Handler and Josh Hari

Photo by Jenavieve Varga

Berklee band Sex!—composed of students Kyle VandeKerkhoff (guitar), Andrew Burri (vocals), and John Adams (drums); alumnus Skye Handler (guitar); and Josh Hari (bass)—took top honors in the Rockus Battle of the Bands sponsored by the Rolling Stone Collection and Veritas Records, Harvard's student-run label. The group beat out bands representing several area colleges, including Harvard, Boston College, Boston University, Emerson, Tufts, and MIT.

The band played its brand of bluesy rock to an enthusiastic audience of 600 at the deciding show last week at the Paradise nightclub, blowing away the competition. Sex! appears on the latest Heavy Rotation Records CD, Dorm Sessions 6.

Sex! impressed the judges—Will Schenck, publisher of Rolling Stone; Ben Berkman, executive vice president of A&M/Octone Records; and Mike Hsu, WAAF DJ—with its talent, stage presence, and crowd response. The judges awarded the band prizes including $1,000 in merchandise from the Rolling Stone Collection, 12 hours of recording time at the famed Electric Lady Studios in New York, a CD release party at Boston's Hard Rock Café, and a gig at Tommy Doyle's in Harvard Square.