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Local high school band wins second regional battle of the bands competition in a row

June 18, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Joshua Drake

Mazel, a student rock band from Westside Secondary School in Orangeville, has earned its second consecutive title at the Upper Grand District School Board’s Battle of the Bands, reinforcing the school’s dominance in the board-wide competition.

Westside has now claimed all three championships since the event was introduced, with Mazel winning the past two.

Sophia Käthe, vocalist and guitarist for the trio, said that they were surprised to win back-to-back after a surprise roster change.

“I certainly was not expecting to win two years in a row, but, honestly, it was pretty awesome for us,” she said. “What had happened was our drummer – he had a thing with work, so he couldn’t show up, so we had to get another drummer to come in and substitute for him, and we had to figure all of that out the night before the competition.”

Despite the last-minute change, the group delivered a performance strong enough to emerge victorious from a large, competitive field of student bands across the school board when the competition was held on May 21.

Mazel is built around three core members.

Käthe serves as vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter, guiding both the musical and lyrical direction of the group. She develops the initial song ideas, including guitar arrangements and lyrics, before bringing them to the rest of the band for collaboration and refinement.

Bassist Kaia Gladue provides the rhythmic foundation alongside the drums, helping shape the band’s energetic, guitar-driven sound.

Kieran Stanutz, the group’s regular drummer, is a familiar figure within Westside’s music community and has performed with several school bands over the years, earning a reputation as a reliable and versatile percussionist.

The band’s origins date back to Käthe’s first year at Westside. Having already performed as a solo musician, she arrived at high school determined to form a band focused on creating original music.

“I was in grade nine, and I thought, I want to do more with music, I was just doing my own solo thing at the time, playing solo gigs when I was like 13,” she said. “Once I got to high school, I thought that I wanted to make a band.”

Recognizing her ambition, music teacher Phillip McCloskey connected her with the school’s existing rhythm-section talent, pairing her with Gladue and Stanutz, who were already familiar with each other.

“Me and Kieran had both, we’re both in other bands,” Gladue said. “We’re both in other bands at the school, he was like the only drummer, and I was like the only bassist. When Sophie said that she wanted a band, McCloskey kind of just went, well, here’s the one drummer, here’s the one bassist, you guys are now a band, go have fun.”

Although the three students did not all know each other beforehand, the combination quickly clicked and developed into a functioning band within the first few months of the school year.

“I think that we all work together very well rhythmically,” Käthe said. “I think we all have a good bond, and we just work well together on and off stage.”

“We click well together,” Gladue said. “We build off each other a lot, I find, too.”

Mazel’s sound blends alternative rock with punk influences. Their songs feature energetic arrangements, strong rhythmic drive and lyrics designed to encourage deeper interpretation.

New material typically begins with Käthe’s early drafts before being workshopped during rehearsals, where the band refines the structure, dynamics and overall feel of each song.

The back-to-back Battle of the Bands victories reflect not only the group’s musicianship but also their growth as performers.

What began as a teacher-facilitated partnership between a group of relatively quiet students has evolved into a disciplined and confident act capable of thriving on a competitive regional stage.

The trio have an upcoming performance for Bandit Festival in Owen Sound in July, and will be taking their music north.

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