As the battle of the bands approaches, there will be many hopefuls vying for a spot during auditions. Though senior Conor Murphy and the band Crimson Horizon hope to make it just as much as the others, they mostly just want to have fun.

The battle of the bands is a competition in January between various student-led bands from the school. They all have to audition and the best are chosen to perform in the auditorium for the event. Last year, the band Crimson Horizon took first place.

For them, however, the battle of the bands is not just a matter of competition and winning prizes.

“Last year, we went into the battle of the bands with no intention of winning. It was really just a chance to perform in front of people,” said Murphy.

The band does not go through a rigorous practice schedule and is not obsessed with their results in the competition. It is most important for them that they just make music and have a good time.

Murphy added, “We jam often, probably around once a week. We just go over songs and have fun playing, so getting ready for a show or battle of the bands is a natural process of just hanging with the band and jamming.”

Murphy will be looking forward to the event and expects it to be just as much fun as last year.

“These types of get-togethers attract easygoing and passionate people. Since we won last year, I think this will create a higher standard for us,” he explained.

While the musicians are putting forth the effort to compete, the Student Council is also working hard to get the event done.

Junior Alaina Friedrich of Student Council said, “Battle of the bands is a tedious process for anyone working behind the scenes. We audition all of the acts, go through the painstaking process of deciding who does or does not make the cut and notify everyone involved about all of the information regarding the actual production.”

Though it seems there is a lot to do in the audition process, there is even more to do on the day of the competition.

Friedrich added, “The day of battle of the bands we are constantly scrambling around, tripping over amps and cords and knocking microphones over left and right in an attempt to control the insanity of the setup. There is constant setting up, tearing down and panicked frenzy once the show gets rolling. The only locomotion the audience sees is in the performances!”

However, it is still well worth the commotion.

“Just because it’s wild, doesn’t mean it’s not a total blast. All of the musicians involved are super awesome. The hours put into the the event are immeasurable when taking into account not only the preparation done on Student Council’s part, but the time, energy and commitment that the musicians have put into their talents and the exhibition of their awesome abilities,” said Friedrich.

The great quantities of time, effort and talent that go into the production of the event make it worthwhile to visit. Bands like Crimson Horizon are just waiting to put on a phenomenal show for the audience.