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Ready to rock out, Wesleyan? The Battle of the Bands is the place to be this Saturday afternoon, when a school-sponsored event showcases up to 10 bands, with some coming from as far away as Richmond and Washington, D.C. Junior Mary Decarmo organized last year’s Battle of the Bands and is looking forward to making this year’s much more intense in comparison. “Battle of the Bands will be completely different this year. There will be more bands, a much bigger crowd, a better set-up, a beer garden for those over 21 and an awesome VIP section,” said Decarmo.
In addition to this year’s competition there will be a VIP section that will include reserved front-row seating, a personal wait staff of Wesleyan students, discounted beverages and the opportunity to go backstage and mingle with the bands. The VIP section also offers the chance to meet DJ Masamune, junior Josh Lampman, from Wesleyan’s own WVAW Radio. “There are already so many factors that are turning this year’s Battle into much more than it was last year,” said senior Lynn Biermann, who has been working side by side with Decarmo. “We have some great talent, there’s been good publicity, and it’s going to be outside as opposed to last year’s C-MAC concert.
“Hopefully people in the Wesleyan community recognize what a great event this will be and they will want to participate.” In addition to the support of the Wesleyan community, Decarmo estimates that hundreds of people will be coming to see the Battle of the Bands. Some of the bands have already been signed to record labels and have a number of followers coming for support. Bands not signed will get the chance to perform in front of local record company Ceerius Records. “We are coming to support Famous Last Words, one of our roster bands, as well as sell merchandise,” said Keith Stoeckeler, CEO of Ceerius. “Unlike last year’s show, Wesleyan students seem to be more excited about this year’s concert as opposed to last year’s,” said Decarmo.
“This is due to better planning and a lot of things have been done on a much larger scale.” Yet some students seem to just care about the music and having a good time with others. “I’m looking forward to seeing a great group of kids getting up on stage to do what they do best-rock out to great music,” said senior Uli Nagengast. “Battle of the Bands is one of those times when tons of people get the chance to listen to music they haven’t heard before...and maybe, just maybe, even learn to love it.” Ben Ruehlmann, junior and drummer from the band Revamp agrees that it’s “all about the music.” “We plan on bringing a lot of rock and original stuff to Battle of the Bands,” says Ruehlmann.
Revamp has been together for a number of years playing dozens of shows around
the Virginia Beach area, including their most recent appearance at Phi Kappa
Tau’s Lively in the (Poison) Ivy. Among other bands that are scheduled
to appear, Lucha Libre is one that has the farthest to travel, coming all the
way from Washington D.C. just to show Wesleyan what they’re made of.
Lead singer and guitarist Colin Jelliffe says the band plans on “rockin
out” at the competition. “I think we bring a sense of urgency and
a general insouciance toward the whole thing. We just enjoy having a good time.
“Normally we don’t go for the whole Battle of the Bands thing, but
we really like a lot of the kids at Wesleyan.” The winner receives a $300
cash prize in addition to the chance to come back next year and defend the title.
The rest of the proceeds from the event will be going to a charity designed
to send a kid to a camp, which is sponsored by the Recreation and Leisure department.
“The Management of Recreation and Leisure Services II class is managing the Battle of the Bands in an effort to assist what we are calling ‘Send a Kid to Camp,” said Doug Kennedy, head of Wesleyan’s Recreation and Leisure department. Money raised will be going to the fund set up for employees of Wesleyan’s physical plant so that they can send their children to YMCA’s Camp Silver Beach for a week during the summer. “All in all Battle of the Bands is more than a cheesy college talent show,” said Decarmo. Everyone’s put in a considerable amount of work to make sure Battle of the Bands is a hit this year. “Even if you don’t care for the music, Battle of the Bands is an event for everyone,” said senior Greg Barry. “Send a Kid to Camp is reason enough alone to go and see the show. It is a great way for students to say thank you to some of the staff that deserves our thanks, but doesn’t always get it.” The concert’s free to all students and $5 for all others. So whether you are into the “Indie music scene” or you just want to come out and have a good time, Battle of the Bands II seems to be the place to be this Saturday at 2 p.m. on the Batten Quad.
Battle of the Bands II
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