Photo by: David Lorish

DU students were treated to a battle of the bands event showcasing much of the local talent present on campus last Saturday.

The judges, as well as the audience, heard from various genres through the course of the night.  There was no short supply of rock, pop, techno and a little bit that could not be classified. 

Over the course of the night we heard from the artists Petals of Spain, The Future Now, Bokonon, Dubious Moniker, F.L.O., KUDZU, Laura Bergstein and the White Russians, El Amor, DJ Will Thompson and Bemused. 

Most of the artists came with a sense of excitement that they tried to transfer to the audience.  More importantly, almost all of the bands present generated the sense that they just wanted to play their music to an audience, not for the sole purpose of playing to win a spot in the May Days lineup.

As the night progressed, the crowd slowly but surely gained mass. The audience itself acquired a genuine interest in the musicians present.

Just when it appeared that a majority of the audience was there to support a single band, that excitement and energy was instead transferred into the next act as soon as the previous finished their set.

The general tone for the evening was positive. Lyrics, when necessary to a band, were uplifting or invigorating in such a way that they were unable to be interpreted as negative. 

The bands Petals of Spain and Bokonon had a more mellow rhythm to them, while bands The Future Now and DJ Will Thompson pumped the crowd full of their techno beats.  Dubious Moniker as well as F.L.O. provided comedy for the night, influencing our minds with the images of Optimus Prime and experimentation with a girl named Becky.

KUDZU and Laura Bergstein seemed to have a jam method all their own, giving ample credit to all of the members in their band as they continued to play on. 

Bemused and El Amor played energetic sets, communicating that they were excited to play their music and be surrounded by supporters of local music.

While there was indeed a plethora of talent available on the stage Saturday night, only two bands could be chosen to play at May Days. 

The decision was narrowed to a few bands, and the decisions that were made created close results.  In the end, the two bands picked to play at May Days were Petals of Spain and Bokonon. 

Still, most, if not all of these bands are worth checking out.  It is difficult to find where the upcoming performances will be for many of the bands listed, but KUDZU, Petals of Spain and Bemused will be playing this Wednesday at DU’s music showcase at 7 p.m. El Amor will be playing at the Larimer Lounge May 17th at 3:30 p.m.

Aside from that, you may have to be in the know to figure out where everybody else will be playing.