Five bands battled for the adoring praise of fans, bragging rights, and, perhaps most importantly, a large sum of money at an event this past week.

Marywood’s Student Activities Crew (SAC) hosted its first Battle of the Bands on Friday, March 27. The event was open to bands that had at least one member from Marywood, and offered a $500 prize to the winning band.

Maria Temples, an intern with student activities and a junior nutrition major, had high hopes for the success of the night.

“We did a survey last semester to see if Marywood would be interested in having a Battle of the Bands, and the responses were really great,” Temples said. “I think I would be satisfied [with a turnout] of 50 people.”

In the end, though, approximately 100 people showed up to hear the five bands perform a wide array of music from blues and Christian rock to a cappella versions of Top 40 hits.

Five bands vied for the love of the audience. The Thomas Muscarello Band opened the show with a brief cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” before segueing into Vance Joy’s “Riptide.”

From there, Christian band Countless Wonders took the stage, performing both covers of other Christian acts and their own original work.

A cappella group Nomadic Chromatic then gave their unique interpretation of popular artists like Lorde, replacing all of the instrumentation with their own voice work and beatboxing.

Unequal Proportions, in their first live performance as a group, then offered their versions of songs like Coldplay’s “Fix You,” featuring vocal harmonies and a cellist in addition to a pianist and guitarist.

Finally, blues rock outfit Static in the Attic gave a traditional “rock ‘n’ roll” performance, complete with guitar solos being played over the lead guitarist’s shoulder.

One student in attendance, graphic design major Gabby Creazzo, thought that one of the most exciting parts of the night was watching Marywood students showcase their talents.

“I didn’t know that so many people at Marywood could sing that well,” said Creazzo. “It was cool to see people that I’ve seen around campus and then find out that they’re super talented.”

After the performances concluded, SAC encouraged the audience to vote for their favorite band to determine the winner of the contest. Unequal Proportions was declared the winner.

Unequal Proportions’ guitarist and music therapy major Chris Morrison expressed excitement over winning the battle.

“We just kinda put this together a week ago, like, ‘let’s play for the Battle of the Bands,'” Morrison said, “and we won, so that’s crazy.”

When it came to the prize, the band was already considering how to spend it: by celebrating over dinner, and then donating the remainder of the $500 to charity.

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