ANGIE LEVINE Ryan Gelber sings out to
students attending the Battle of the Bands and DJs, which was moved
into Ackerman Grand Ballroom this year.
By Suneal Kullori
Daily Bruin Contributor
UCLA’s Battle of the Bands and DJs was a lot like the free
promotional condoms that were distributed at the event.
The free condoms were of questionable quality, as was the free
Battle of the Bands and DJs show, which did not deliver the
entertainment that a more expensive concert would have
provided.
The Battle of the Bands and DJs, held in Ackerman Union Friday,
showcased a diverse mix of musical performances from various
college bands. The UCLA Campus Events Commission, which organized
the concert, brought together talent from various Southern
California colleges to perform at the event.
The wide variety of musical performances offered something for
everyone. Four bands, four DJs and two hip-hop groups participated
in the event while Matt Hirt and John Laun of the UCLA radio show
“Getting it on with Matt and John” entertained the
crowd in between acts.
Despite the diversity of musical performances the concert had to
offer, the bands were frequently unable to provide the spark
necessary to excite the weary audience. Songs dragged on too long,
DJs couldn’t keep a steady beat and the corny jokes of MCs
fell flat among a tough crowd.
The show’s lack of excitement also stemmed largely from a
lack of audience participation and enthusiasm.
 ANGIE LEVINE DJ OBI spins his records in
Ackerman Grand Ballroom during the competition Friday night. At the
start of the show, the audience sat quietly on the floor as
energetic band members in odd costumes ran wild onstage.
It took much convincing from the lead singer of the opening band
Genohm to get the tired UCLA audience on its feet, and as the
concert wore on, the crowd slowly dwindled away.
Despite the show’s shortcomings, however, the talent and
energy of many of the musicians saved the show from failure.
In the band category, groups used flashy costumes, wild antics
and catchy songs to produce somewhat entertaining acts.
One grand prize and three runner-up prizes were awarded in the
group category.
Second runner-up Genohm combined loud distorted guitars, tin
foil costumes and their best Limp Bizkit impersonation to make for
an unoriginal but exciting display of testosterone.
The second band, and the show’s grand prize winner,
Calcutta, attempted to bring back the ’80s with goofy black
suits and Billy Idol covers, while Relax to Paris slowed things
down with a laid-back pop sound.
The punk band, Winston Thought, closed the night in front of a
dwindling crowd with an energetic set consisting of an interesting
punk cover of Shaggy’s hit, “Angel.” It was the
third runner-up in the group category.
Each of these bands had a different sound, and each brought an
interesting bit of flavor to the event.
Bringing a DJ category into the mix, however, was a lot like
inviting Eazy-E to play at a Grateful Dead show. Many of the
students who came to see the bands didn’t really understand
the DJs’ music.
Some of the DJs didn’t even seem to comprehend the music
themselves as they weren’t able to maintain a steady rhythm
while spinning the records.
One DJ by the name of ET, however, was able to successfully
impress the audience when he created a beat by mixing Samuel L.
Jackson, gunshots and drums into a steady rhythmic flow that was
out of this world.
ET was the runner up and the DJ Edit won the event.
The hop-hop groups also lit up the stage with all kinds of
energy and excitement. Stereotype, a group that also performed at
Spring Sing, performed a loud, exciting set reminiscent of a less
political Rage Against the Machine. It was the first runner-up in
the group category.
The second group, Universal Kingz, also played a loud, powerful
set.
All of the groups had style and flare, but they couldn’t
get the crowd involved in the show.
As the bands ran around the stage and sang at the top of their
lungs, the audience stood still and tapped their feet along with
the music.
Had the bands been able to get more audience participation, the
show would have been very different and much more exciting.
Nonetheless, the show was free, the bands were talented and
there were free condoms.
Everybody got their money’s worth.