Sadler Lawn will transform into a live music venue 4 p.m. Sunday for Programming Council’s Battle of the Bands.Five out of nine bands that applied will perform. In order to participate, the bands have to have at least one TCU student, submit a photo, a sample of their music, a brief history of the band and a $25 application fee, said Vanessa Flores, vice chairwoman of the Programming Council.
“We wanted to bring together a group of bands that each had their own style, experience and originality,” Flores said.
Acoustic, alternative, Texas country and rock will be the genres performed, Flores said.
“All the bands are so different,” said Kristen Chapman, PC special events director. “Something will appeal to everyone.”
The winning band will perform as the opening act for The Spazmatics, who are described on their Web site as a new-wave ’80s band, before the Homecoming football game on Oct. 28, Chapman said.
Cash prizes will also go to the first-, second- and third-place bands, Flores said.
The winners will be picked by students attending the concert, said Aaron Wolfe, PC director of spirit and traditions. Students will rate each band immediately after it plays, and then the top three bands will play again.
“Voting while the band’s fresh on your mind will make it more fair and competitive,” Wolfe said.
To ensure that only TCU students are voting, students will be required to show their student IDs, Chapman said.
The bands performing include Might as Well, Rob Baird & the Whiskey Reunion, Shoot Fulton Shoot, T & A and Withheld.
Topher Howard, a junior sociology major, said this will be the first show for his band, T & A, other than performing for friends.
T & A is made up of Howard and Adam Clawson, a senior psychology major, who both sing and play guitar. Howard described their music as light acoustic.
“We just want to put on a good show,” Howard said. “We want to have people hear us and know who we are.”
Flores said although PC didn’t have a Battle of the Band last spring, the council tries to hold one every spring.
“Since it didn’t happen last spring we wanted to compensate for that,” Flores said.
Chapman and Wolfe both said they consider this event to be a good way to kick off homecoming.
“This event emphasizes the TCU community,” Wolfe said.