University Park

Penn Staters look to hit the big time in national battle of the bands

University Park, Pa. — The prospect of his band being on the verge of national television exposure and a $1 million recording contract hardly occurred to Jason Browne mere months ago when he entered his hip-hop outfit into Bodog's Battle of the Bands.

Now he finds himself thinking about it every day.

Browne, a soft-spoken network systems specialist by day in Penn State's Office of Human Resources, is the frontman and one of three emcees for Audio Imagery, a group composed of Penn State students, graduates and employees.

The band will compete at 10:30 p.m. Saturday at Philadelphia's Fillmore at the TLA in the semi-regional final of an ongoing battle of the bands put on by entertainment company Bodog. At stake is a trip to New York City for the regional finals, with a win there getting the band to the national final on television music network Fuse. The winner will receive a $1 million recording contract from Bodog.

"As a band, we try to do as much promotion as possible," Browne said. "I stumbled on [the Bodog battle] and never expected anything to come from it. A few months later, we got a call that we'd been picked, and I still didn't think much of it. Then we won a round, then another round. We realized we could do this."

Unlike many hip-hop acts, Audio Imagery features a full band, lending the songs a vibrant sound. Drummer Dan Cooper and DJ Andy Mackey, both students, and bass player Ian Callahan , an alumnus, keep the beats tight, while dual guitarists and alumni Kyle Hollinger and Lee Armstrong give the tracks their rock sound. Keyboardist Javan Mason, also a student, is the wild card, transforming songs from haunting intros to near Latin flavors. Meanwhile, the emcees -- Browne uses the name Agress, while alumni George Webster and Malcolm Hurley go by LP and Cos, respectively -- churn out smart rhymes over danceable beats.

The results can be heard on the group's  2007 album Hush, recorded over a year in Browne's bedroom. The album features diverse sounds for a refreshing take on the hip-hop genre.

"We're a hip-hop group in name," Browne said, "but we're so much more. Our music has rock and has those elements that make hip-hop great."
 
Since forming in 2003, the group has shared stages with rock acts such as Fall Out Boy and established rap acts like Clipse. Whatever the audience, Browne says Audio Imagery's energetic live performances have found the group enthusiastic fans.

"I think what we do transcends hip-hop barriers," he explained. "We play at rock fests and fans would say, 'Wow, you guys are good. I never would have expected to like that.' People really seem to enjoy the shows, and getting widespread support as an original band is what we are trying to do."

Audio Imagery will be looking to earn more fans in Philadelphia on Saturday. Last time out the band saw a lot of support from locals in Philadelphia, performing to the evening's biggest crowd in Browne's hometown. This time around, car pools have been organized from University Park for local fans.

Fans interested in tickets to the show should contact Browne at 215-805-1926.

To listen to Audio Imagery songs and watch video of the band, check out their Myspace page at http://myspace.com/audioimagerymusic.

Last Updated March 19, 2009

Contact