The ruckus, fracas, ready to rock us is back again.
On Saturday, the SUB ballrooms will be filled with pure aural ecstasy when UNM hosts the Battle of the Bands.
"There are no restrictions on any styles," said Paul Spella, cultural director of Student Special Events. "We have a few solo performers and even some MCs."
With 22 bands performing, fans of music from cuddlecore to deathcore are guaranteed to rock around the clock. The battle starts at noon, and it's free.
Each band is allotted up to 20 minutes to perform. Set changes take 10 minutes.
"We have five random judges involved in the local music scene that judge on musicianship, stage presence, originality and overall performance," Spella said.
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Notable past jury members have included Danny Winn and DJs from the radio station 104.7 The Edge.
In order to contend, the bands must consist of at least 50 percent UNM students.
The winner gets a spot at the Spring Fiesta on April 25.
While winning the competition brings glory and bragging rights, bands beware: The past two victors have since broken up after taking the title.
"I am not really worried about it," said Matt Garcia, the bassist from Zagadka, a competing trio. "We are just going to go and play and have a good time."
Having performed at the two previous battles, Garcia and company are ready to hit the stage again.
"We just play every chance we can get, especially at the school, because there are always so many different people there," he said.
Garcia said the Albuquerque music scene needs more community support to bolster the regional talent and establish a stronger local musical movement.
"A lot of people don't even know that a lot of these bands are in school with them," he said. "If at least one person shows up and starts to really like one of the local bands, I'd say mission accomplished."
