UNM Battle of the Bands is not a win-at-all-costs affair, but an avenue for creating alliances.
The battle showcases up-and-coming students who have less performance opportunities than established bands, said Bryan Jurus, director of Student Special Events. He said the winner will play alongside Twista and Flosstradamus at Fiestas.
“Battle of the Bands lends itself to finding new acts that we otherwise wouldn’t look at,” he said. “There’s a lot of bands that are going to be competing that may have never played before, and this is their first time to see how they do.”
Josh Herrera, pianist for competitor the Noms, said the battle highlights UNM talent.
“We’re kind of showing off the school, I guess you could say, because there’s not a whole lot that shows off the talent of the students at the school,” he said.
Ross Vogel, drummer for competitor Static Reply, said his band views the event less as a competition and more as another chance to play for an audience.
“We’re not really looking to win,” he said. “We’re just going out to have fun and play a show. It’s less fun if it’s all competitive. I’d rather play a fun show with cool people.”
Going into the competition with mean-spirited ferocity won’t give bands a competitive edge, said Sean Van Hoose, guitarist for competitor Marabout Saints. He said it’s more of a friendly competition and a time to connect with bands.
“It’s more like networking,” he said. “You get to see more bands your age that play around Albuquerque, make connections, and if you go in it to win, you make a lot of enemies. And you don’t really want to do that if you’re a band because (if) you help this band out, they may help you out down the road.”
To date, 10 bands signed up, and Jurus said organizers looked into the bands to ensure they’re not just some “Joe Schmo.”
Judging by what he’s heard online, Jurus said this year’s battle will have a rock slant.
“(It) is neat because last year it was kind of more country folk,” he
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said. “It changes year to year, and in an odd way, I think it kind of follows trends, and rock is coming back right now.”
Van Hoose said the audience shouldn’t go into the event with expectations.
“I think people should go there not expecting anything because if you’re expecting someone to be good and they’re not, then you’re disappointed,” he said. “But if you go in there without expectations, you walk out with a smile.”
