With a lineup including a band called “The Electric Psychedelic Pussy Cat Swingers Club,” this year’s Battle of the Bands promises to be, well, electrifying.
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music honorary’s annual Battle of the Bands fundraiser will begin at 7:00 p.m. Nov. 9 in the McNamara Rehearsal Hall.
The event has undergone several changes this year, including an increase in price of admission. Senior David Krueger, president of the honorary, said that the ticket price increased this year to help fund this year’s battle as well as Phi Mu Alpha events to come.
“Battle of the Bands is our number one fundraiser – it’ll help us buy things like a piano for next year’s piano smash, meet and greets, and other events that we sponsor on campus,” Krueger said.
In addition, Phi Mu Alpha is donating a larger sum to charity. In past years, only the winning band was given a prize. This year, however, the runner-up will be getting a prize as well.
“Last year we only had a first prize, which was $100 donated to a charity of the winning band’s choice,” sophomore Jack Shannon said. “This year, since we’re putting on a bigger event, we decided to give out more prize money. So we’re still giving out $100 to the first band and now $50 to the second place band’s charity of choice.”
Another change is the battle’s panel of judges. Professor of Political Economy Gary Wolfram, Professor of Music James Holleman, and Professor of Economics Ivan Pongracic have been Battle of the Bands fixtures in past years. This year, Holleman returns to the judge’s table accompanied by James Brandon, professor of theatre, and Dan York, professor of biology.
Despite the alterations, members of Phi Mu Alpha believe that the Battle of the Bands will continue to be a strong tie for the rest of campus to Hillsdale’s musical community.
“This brings students together in support of their peers, who are in turn putting a lot of effort into presenting something worthwhile for the community,” sophomore Matthew Sauer said.
