Cedarville 'Oddfellow' Band Moves Up in National Contest

The members of Oddfellow (clockwise, from left) Seth Haske, Phil Kasper, Odin Osogwin, and Jason Haske, take a break from their performance at a recent fundraiser for Clark Township Fire Department's equipment fund Friday, September 29.

The rock band Oddfellow from Cedarville has advanced to the third round of Bodog's Battle of the Bands, where they are competing for a $1 million promotional contract with Bodog Entertainment that includes international distribution, touring, promotion, and marketing services. Oddfellow includes Jason Haske, 23, on guitar and vocals, Phil Kasper, 23, on bass, Seth Haske, 20, on guitar and vocals, and Odin Osogwin, 19, on drums. They all live in Cedarville.

To qualify, the band won a competition Monday evening, October 23, at St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit, where they played 30 minutes of original music in competition. They competed with 12 other bands, and were one of only four to advance to the next round. St. Andrew's was the largest venue the band has played at since it was formed in 2001. They now move on to "City-Wide Warfare" at the State Theater Sunday, November 19,

"The kids are just ecstatic," said Janet Haske, mother of Jason and Seth Haske, the morning after the performance. She joined about 30 to 40 fans who traveled to Detroit to see the band. "They had a great time, and the judges really liked them."

The group competed against 11 other bands for the chance to advance to the third round, known as "City-Wide Warfare." The second round of competition at St. Andrew's was called "In the Trenches," and the first was "Boot Camp," and was performed at The Shelter in Detroit. Bands advance by demonstrating talent and fan support. Eighty percent of their score is based on judging, and 20 percent is based on the number of tickets sold and how many fans show up at the contests. Oddfellow will be selling tickets from now until the November 19 competition, and fans can buy the tickets to vote for the band, whether they plan to attend the performance or not.

Oddfellow is the only band north of Saginaw to compete in the Battle of the Bands.

"So far, this has been the biggest thing we've done," Phil Kasper said the week before the contest. "This has been excellent for us. Even if we don't win, we got to play in St. Andrew's Hall."

When Oddfellow advances, they will compete against the best original bands in the Detroit-area contest at the State Theater, for the opportunity to advance to the final show in Los Angeles. Only one band will win the Detroit show. That band will compete with 16 other bands at the final show in Los Angeles, for the chance to win the promotional contract.

Monday, October 23, Oddfellow was one of 600 bands now competing nationwide to get to the Los Angeles show. The contest started with more than 7,000 bands, and eliminated more than 6,000 by the second round of competition. Bands are competing in other major cities around the country, including Detroit, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and Miami.

Oddfellow recorded its first alloriginal compact disc, "Go," in August 2005. The band was most recently seen at home, performing a September 29 benefit at the Islander Bar in Hessel to raise funds for Clark Township Fire Department equipment. They donated their performance for the fundraiser. Phil Kasper serves on the fire department with his father, Stan, two uncles, Mike and Chet III, his brother, David, and grandfather Chet Kasper.

The band also donated a performance to the first Cedarstock rock concert in Cedarville in July.