With photoshoots and vast social media attention, the Student Activities Board is building anticipation for the long-awaited campus holiday Centralhallapalooza, kicking off the season with CHP Showdown. The student band competition will determine which band will perform at CHP, and takes place April 12 from 8-12 p.m.
The winning bands get the chance to perform again at CHP, opening up for the headline group.
Each band is allowed to play a 20 minute set. Although SAB member and senior Kendra Lantis said that they were able to fit in all those who expressed interest in performing, they limit the number of entries to eight, so SAB encourages bands to sign up immediately to guarantee a spot.
“It’s rare though that we have to turn bands away,” Lantis said.
Of last year’s three winning bands — Trophy Wives, Penny and the Mandimes, and The Village Idiots — the latter two are back to compete.
Senior Ethan Greb, band member of Village Idiots, said CHP Showdown has always been his favorite SAB event. Greb said the audience and band members are able to interact well, something he thinks all the band members would agree is the best part of the night.
“Being able to play some groovy tunes for the crowd and seeing them react is what gives all the band members more energy and causes us to play better,” Greb said.
The event itself is unique in that students vote at the event to choose their favorite team of musicians. All the bands have different styles of music depending on the genre of music they choose to play, but it’s up to the students to decide what they most enjoy. This process was created to give students a choice in who they would prefer to see at CHP, to ensure students have the best experience.
“We factor in our own personal music tastes, what type of event we are playing for, and also what we know the audience likes to hear,” Greb said. “Most of all, the type of music we play is what we enjoy playing and that is always the most important part for us. But the genre of music we typically gravitate toward is a type of ‘grunge’ or ‘angst’ while throwing some popular tunes in the mix.”
SAB members began working out the specific details and logistics a little over three weeks ago, but planning for the event began even further in advance than that.
The event began in 2015 under the name “Band Hero,” but changed to the current name as of 2016. This year is officially the third annual CHP Showdown. Both events are in the pursuit of giving students freedom to decide their favorite bands through a night of entertainment.
“It’s an event tailored to giving student bands a night to rock out and compete,” Lantis said.