Bands to battle for opportunity to help the kids

By: Morgan Ellis, Assistant Arts Editor

The typical battle of the bands results in the winning band walking away with a cash prize or a coveted recording deal.

Not this battle.

UNC Dance Marathon's Battle of the Bands will be held at The Library starting at 10 p.m. today.

Four acts are scheduled to play, each pitted against the other for a chance to perform during the ninth annual Dance Marathon in February.

"There are lots of student bands who would love to be involved with Dance Marathon," said senior Roger Horowitz, performance subcommittee chairman of the morale committee.

That involvement with Dance Marathon will rest solely on the shoulders of the crowd, whose approval or disapproval will determine the winner of the competition.

"The audience is the main part because they're the ones who vote," said Kourtney Taperek, moraler/spirit subcommittee chairwoman.

According to Horowitz, each band has one 30-minute slot to impress tonight's crowd.

Ryan Bailey, guitarist and vocalist for Caravan, a recently-formed band composed of UNC students, said that to win will means to pull off some expressive on-stage antics.

"I think it's probably going to require some funky stage moves," he said.

Caravan will be joined by local rock group Tripp, indie rockers The Busy World and Chapel Hill mainstay SNMNMNM.

Bailey said the prospects of winning would be a huge accomplishment for Caravan.

"It's great playing for the cause, and if we win, it'd be great to play in front of a thousand people," he said.

Bailey's bandmate, guitarist Jesse Prentice-Dunn, said he's just excited to play in the competition, an event that's become a staple in the months preceding Dance Marathon.

But he also said he thinks his band has a shot at wowing Fetzer Gym attendees early next semester.

"If we bring our 'A' game, we've got a good shot," he said.

But the night isn't all about the bands and the chance to play at the Dance Marathon.

"When you do it for charity, it's just an added benefit," he said.

All proceeds from the Battle of the Bands will go to the For The Kids Fund, which benefits the children and families at the N.C. Children's Hospital.

Admission is $3 for all concertgoers 21 and older and $5 for everyone else.

Prentice-Dunn said he is looking forward to the combination of tonight's events.

"You almost never get a chance to see four student bands in one night … and it's for a good cause," he said.

Bailey said some healthy competition also might make an appearance.

"I think it's going to be a battle," he said with a laugh.

Morgan Ellis, “Bands to battle for opportunity to help the kids,” The Daily Tarheel, November 14, 2006.