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Student bands get chance for the big stage

Every year during USF Week, student bands get the chance to open for well-known artists at Bullstock.
SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

With a chance of opening for well-known artists at this year’s Bullstock, USF students are perfecting their sound in preparation for Battle of the Bands.

Dozens have applied, but only one or two groups will be selected for the final show, with applications for the student portion of Bullstock closing Friday.

Battle of the Bands is a free event put on by the Campus Activities Board . Bands of USF students will have 15 minutes each to show judges and attendees why they deserve to be the opening act at Bullstock, which will be April 7 and is the last event of USF Week.

Before they can take the stage at Bullstock, they must compete with other student bands at the seventh-annual Battle of the Bands. The event will take place at the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Amphitheater on March 7 at 7 p.m.

Joshua Wilson, associate director at the Center for Student Involvement and Fraternity/Sorority Life at USF, said the judges at the Battle of the Bands are usually faculty members.

“We’ve reached out in the past to have different faculty or staff members from various departments represented on campus, some with music interests and some who we think might fit the bill,” he said.

The bands will know at the end of the event which of them will have the glory of performing on stage in April.

Wilson said the Battle of the Bands is great for student musicians who want to share their talents with a wider audience.

“One of the key benefits is getting to perform in a university space to their peers,” Wilson said. “Hopefully it’s a chance for them to reach a new audience, for people to know the music that they’re making, but also just a chance for the community to come together and see the talent that we have on campus.”

Though the lineup for Bullstock 2017 has yet to be announced, Wilson confirmed that the festival will have an “indie-alternative feel” with three to five nationally-recognized artists, as it has in previous years.

Bands interested in competing in the Battle of the Bands can apply by turning in a CD or USB with their songs to the Center for Student Involvement, located on the second floor of the MSC. Bands that are chosen to compete in the Battle of the Bands will be notified on Tuesday.