It might cost $12, but you get to see more than six bands in one
night.
Hosted by Pi Kappa Phi and the Community Service Commission to
benefit charity organizations, this year’s Battle of the
Bands will take place today at 7 p.m. in the Ackerman Grand
Ballroom. Tickets are $12 beforehand at the Central Ticket Office
and on Ticketmaster and $15 at the door. All benefits will go to
the CSC and Push America, a charity founded by Pi Kappa Phi.
Pop-punk band The Ataris will headline the Battle of the Bands
with an acoustic set after the night’s big
“battle” is through. On tour since the beginning of
January, a few members of the group have been playing acoustic sets
across the country and will finish their pre-release tour tonight,
after which they’ll go back into the studio to add finishing
touches to their new album, said band member Kris Roe. The Ataris
frequent Los Angeles, Roe said, as it is “one of our favorite
venues.” The band has also had previous shows at UCLA.
“Playing shows at colleges is something important,”
Roe said. “The band is trying to get people interested in the
music, and it’s the best market to do it in.”
There will be entertainment acts between the competing bands,
provided by campus groups and performers such as Awaken Acapella
and ACA Hip Hop. The actual competition will take place between
five bands centered in Southern California: Faulter, Aviatic,
Hopefield, Paper Models and the recently formed UCLA-based band
Free Rob G.
Fourth-year anthropology student Daniel Zamani, who goes by
“Z,” is the vocalist of Free Rob G. He heard about
Battle of the Bands through Best Buddies, a CSC service project he
belongs to, and chose to sign up with the band.
“The bands we’re playing with already have
well-established fan bases,” said Zamani. “But I think
every one of us feels comfortable playing with a lot of these
bands, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to play for
their fans.”
Though many of the bands in the battle tonight may have record
deals and a larger number of fans, that doesn’t discourage
Free Rob G. Rather, its members said a situation like a battle of
the bands concert helps them widen their fan base while giving them
a chance to play in a large venue they wouldn’t be able to
sell out otherwise.
Harsh Parikh, a third-year political science and sociology
student, is responsible for organizing this year’s Battle of
the Bands. In 2004, the battle took place at the El Rey Theatre on
Wilshire Avenue. Last year a similar event was organized by the
Interfraternity Council called the IFC Rock Out, which took place
in the Sunset Village Recreation Center. Parikh said last
year’s event was unsuccessful and the IFC did not participate
in organizing or contributing to this year’s event.
“The dynamic is very different this year,” Parikh
said. An avid directing member of the CSC and Push America and also
a residential advisor, Parikh has pooled together all of his
resources to make the event possible. Sponsors include CSC,
Undergraduate Students Association Council, Office of Residential
Life, On Campus Housing Council and UCLARadio.com. Many of the
groups have contributed financially, while others have helped by
promoting the event.
“Because we are working with so many different groups and
funding sources on campus, we have all the facilities and costs
covered. All the proceeds we get go straight to charity,”
Parikh said.
Before The Ataris’ set, there will be an awards procession
presenting a check for the amount of money raised to a group of
people with disabilities called Easter Seals from Push America. The
winning band will be based on the response of the crowd as measured
by a decibel meter.