On Fri., Oct. 1 at 5 p.m., WMLU's annual Battle of the Bands kicked off the Oktoberfest weekend behind the Lankford Student Union.
The line-up included eight diverse bands, six of which would be judged. This year's judges were Dr. Eric Laws, chair and associate professor of psychology; Dr. David Buckalew, associate professor of biology; his wife Robin Buckalew; and Dr. Steven Faulkner, assistant professor of English.
The first act to take the stage was Zionia Productions, which was a solo folk act that sang and played the mandolin. He was just warm-up as the judges got settled, therefore he was not judged.
Second to take the stage, but first to be judged was Two Canadians, who played folk/Quebecois music and drew the crowd in with their soft sound. Herds of people from Color Wars started to gather at the stage.
The Bleek Quartette was a jazz group who serenaded the audience. They played mostly instrumental songs, along with a cover of Bill Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine." Their sound and stage presence was certainly a crowd pleaser.
Plan B was an acoustic set that took the stage fourth. They continued with the acoustic mood that the evening had been in thus far and more students began to crowd as the sun went down.
The fifth band, IAMTHEKID, revved up the evening. Their metalcore sound drew people from the picnic and surrounding buildings to Battle. They encouraged audience participation and had a very energetic stage presence.
The Acree Brothers followed IAMTHEKID playing pop-punk music. This allowed the crowd to die down a little bit after IAMTHEKID as the Acree Brothers played some catchy tunes.
The seventh band to play and last to be judged was Big Fresh Meat. They're an alternative rock group who drew the crowd in with covers such as "Bulls On Parade." They also had some original songs that had a blues rock feel.
Alternative rock group JACT played last as the evening wound down. They were not judged but were a nice group to tie up the night with.
First place went to The Acree Brothers, who received $500 and the opening spot for WMLU's Bandfest during Spring Weekend. They also entered to compete in a nationwide Battle of the Bands, where they have a chance to win a recording session with a record company. IAMTHEKID received second place, winning $250 and being the back-up band for Bandfest in case The Acree Brothers are unable to perform.
"I think Battle went very smoothly," Battle of the Bands Chair and WMLU Business Manager Carly Bell said, "We had a few kinks here and there but we were able to tackle the minor issues, stay on schedule, and accommodate all of the bands and judges. Overall it was very successful.
The Bleek Quartette, a jazz group, provided a 'smooth' performance, appealing to many.
