The event was hosted by KDVS and ASUCD Entertainment Council on Feb. 24, where the audience chose Sacramento-based band Granada to win
By VINCE BASADA — campus@theaggie.org
KDVS and the ASUCD Entertainment Council (EC) hosted a Battle of the Bands event on Feb. 24, showcasing five local bands who competed for a chance to perform at next quarter’s Whole Earth Festival (WEF). The free event, which was held in the Coffee House (CoHo), was attended by an estimated 200 people.
The winning band, Granada, is a Sacramento-based progressive and alternative group. They took the win after an energetic closing performance that drew the audience into a mosh pit and ended with much applause. Granada’s members include bassist Michelle, guitarist and vocalist Breezy and drummer Cameron. The Battle of the Bands was their third show, having formed six months ago.
“We all have good confidence, so I think we thought we were going to shoot high and we did,” Cameron said.
“The crowd was amazing, and I feel like that gave me a lot of confidence too,” Michelle said.
All three members said that music has been a long-time passion for them and expressed gratitude to the audience for showing out.
“I’ve been doing music for about 15 years, but guitar is a more recent development, and doing something in a group like this is really new,” Breezy said.
The bands in order of performance were: Illbie, Fire Trial, In Ether, Star Vista and Granada. Originally, KDVS and EC advertised that eight bands would perform, however, due to varying mitigating circumstances, only five were able to come to the event.
Near the venue’s entrance, representatives from KDVS, EC and WEF tabled with information on upcoming events and opportunities.
Highlights from the night, aside from Granada’s closing act, included the band In Ether, who had formed just three weeks before the show. Their performance included an acoustic guitar solo, which proved popular among the crowd.
Attendees voted by marbles after the performances had ended. The results were announced soon after, with Granada narrowly taking the win with 89 votes to In Ether’s 85 votes.
Aside from a performing slot at WEF, the winners also received a cash prize of $200 to split amongst themselves.
Siya Pun, a third-year cognitive science major and EC unit director, said that planning for the event began over a month prior and presented an opportunity for interunit cooperation.
KDVS and EC have hosted a similar event in the past, and both groups expressed interest in pursuing future collaborations.
“Working alongside different units was a huge goal of ours, [and we had] a lot of our own staff members work with other units and their staff and strengthen unit efforts,” Pun said. “I’d love to see more collaborations happen in the future with WEF and KDVS.”
KDVS Events Directors Ani Bagmanian and Scala Reyes said that over 20 bands submitted performances for consideration after opening the event application, many of them based locally.
“We really wanted to showcase local artists, and this has been an event that was done a few years ago with [EC], and we were excited to bring it back,” Reyes said. “We wanted to be able to platform a lot of bands that maybe have not been [highlighted] in Davis to bring some fresh faces to the scene.”
Bagmanian noted that no one is turned away at KDVS-paid events for lack of funds, but added that the show’s free entry helped to make it more accessible to students.
While only the winning band received payment for the show, Reyes expressed her appreciation for all the performers who came out to showcase their work and passion.
“You know, they were donating their time to come out here and perform,” Reyes said. “We’re really grateful that they were all willing to do so.”
Written by: Vince Basada — campus@theaggie.org
