This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cal Poly chapter.
There’s been so much excitement over the upcoming Battle of the Bands that ASI (with KCPR’s support and advice) is putting on in April! Odds are, you’ve seen the posters around campus or have heard people talking about it. What we know so far is that it will take place on April 22 at 6 PM, and that it will feature five bands with 20 minutes per set. Sure, it’s going to be amazing to have this at Cal Poly – but the significance of this event goes much deeper than you might know.
SLO’s music scene has taken a hit lately, making it very difficult for “Cal Poly bands” and other lesser-known, local music groups to make a name for themselves.
Her Campus Cal Poly had the great opportunity to speak with Kendall Spector, a representative from KCPR, on what the Battle of the Bands really means for SLO’s local musicians.
As far as general information on the event goes, Kendall said there were a “pretty good amount of bands interested,” and that there’s “definitely been a lot of hype” around campus. In fact, she estimated that at least twenty bands wanted to take part in it! For these reasons, ASI and KCPR are expecting “a huge turnout.”
The massive attention that the Battle of the Bands is generating is really great for the music scene in SLO. When asked about her thoughts on the opportunities for small bands here, Kendall said, “This year the SLO music scene has suffered so much with the loss of SLO Brew, and you have very strict guidelines on when music can be played (with house shows, etc.)… It’s been really hard for bands around here to find shows.”
After speaking to several other people involved in the SLO music scene, everyone seems to agree that times have been tough. Noise complaints arise over simple band practices, and it’s hard to find somewhere to play for a larger audience. Thankfully, ASI is finally giving these bands a well-deserved opportunity to rock out in front of tons of Cal Poly students! What’s even better is that the winner gets to open for Spring Stampede this year! Giving these students the chance to open for some more widely known acts is exactly what they’ve been looking for.
Kendall could barely contain her excitement at the university stepping in to help these people out. She also added, “I think that getting the students involved in the music scene here is going to be awesome and is going to pump life back into it!”
We, the students, have the chance to save local music here in SLO!
KCPR has definitely been doing its part in aiding student musicians by setting up events such as open mic nights, pool parties, etc. —– basically helping them “get in contact with a larger student population” and offering them a “really cool, legal way to play [their] music.” Aside from hosting these very popular events, KCPR makes an active effort to put local music in their rotation to play on the air —– all for free! They really have a heart for these struggling bands, and try as best as they can to “get [their music] out there and get them exposure … [We’re] trying to make this a little easier for them.”
One of the bands hoping to be involved in the Battle of the Bands is Box the Oxford! (Remember them? —– link to article here: http://www.hercampus.com/school/cal-poly/campus-celeb-box-oxford) Colton Stapper (guitar and vocals) has been a driving force for this event, as he and his band-mate Andrew Krippner (also guitar and vocals) have been pushing for better ASI involvement with the SLO music scene for a while now. We asked Colton to comment on this event, and this was his response:
“Andrew and I are really thankful that Cal Poly is putting this on. We’ve been looking for an opportunity to help connect local bands with bigger, well-known artists and we think that it’s great ASI is helping do that for the college bands this year. We’d be very excited to be a part of this event, and I’m looking forward to seeing the lineup!”
While the lineup hasn’t been posted yet, keep an eye out for it! It’s sure to be a great one!
To show your support for Cal Poly students in bands, make sure to grab some friends and come to the Battle of the Bands on April 22 at 6 PM in the UU Plaza! Do your part to help bring the SLO music scene back to life!