Kaleidoscope secures Mason Day gig

There can only be one. Five bands came to compete in George Mason University’s musical gauntlet, but only one would go onto the final stage.

Last Thursday, House of Echo, Rites of Ash, I Am the Kaleidoscope, Find the Focus and The Automatics shared two dueling stages in Dewberry Hall. The rules were plain and simple. The last band standing would be promised a gig of musical prominence at this year’s Mason Day fesitivites.

Plugged in and tuned up, the feuding bands met on Mason’s campus to determine who would open up for Cobra Starship during their Mason Day concert. In the end, I Am the Kaleidoscope was hailed the victor by three judges.

Dewberry Hall was far from being a packed house but the bands still performed like they had sold out Madison Square Garden. All the bands proved they had the necessary energy to keep up with a crowd as large as Mason Day’s.

I Am the Kaleidoscope’s presence, though, was the only one that wasn’t at risk of being eclipsed by an already well-known band like Cobra Starship.

I Am the Kaleidoscope was set to play in the third slot for the night and was considered to be one of the top choices along with other local favorite House of Echo.

The synergy between front man Khalid Gharzai and guitarist Eddie Fuentes resonated the presences of other power duos like Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta.

The fast fret working of Fuentes along with Gharzai’s commanding voice made them unignorable even in the dimly lit Johnson Center hall.

I Am the Kaleidoscope will open up for Cobra Starship on April 22 at 8 p.m. in Lot L. Kaleidoscope will be performing on the smaller stage.