S<\/span>pring semester at Colorado College is filled with many things: 80-degree sunshine, \u201cgolf\u201d on the quad, count-less tank tops for sale inside the Worner Center, dreams of the upcoming block, snowstorms, and an event that used to hide out in the Morreale Carriage House where no one could really ever fit to enjoy it: Battle of the Bands.<\/p>\n But this year, the epic competition in which the winner earns a spot on the Llamapalooza stage, was relocated to a far grander venue in the Cossitt Amphitheater. Llamapalooza, started in 1990, is CC\u2019s annual spring music festival that takes place during 8th block on the Worner Quad. Ada Sochanska \u201914<\/strong>, co-chair of the Llamapalooza committee, discovered and organized this change of location. She said that many students showed up for this special event in the new venue, even during a cold burst of spring at the end of March.<\/p>\n The band YouJazz performs at a collaborative concert called Shut Up and Stop Making Sense in Cornerstone Arts Center on March 1.<\/p><\/div>\n Location wasn\u2019t the only thing that changed this year. The voting process in the preliminary rounds was upgraded from paper ballots to electronic voting, and the talent, according to Phoenix McLaughlin \u201914<\/strong>, member of the band YouJazz, took a giant leap as well.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bands at the second round were all sounding real good,\u201d McLaughlin said.<\/p>\n He and several bandmates pulled together YouJazz last year after being part of the Tiger Jazz Ensemble. That was their first year in this competition.<\/p>\n \u201cBattle of the Bands is naturally one of the higher-profile events for student bands, so it\u2019s never a hard decision to sign up,\u201d McLaughlin said.<\/p>\n YouJazz tied with Funkdozer, a band of first-year students, for first place at the end of the competition.<\/p>\n \u201cMusic is the most uncomplicated, pure thing in the world,\u201d said Brian LeMeur \u201917<\/strong>, tenor saxophonist, pianist, and vocalist for Funkdozer. \u201cIt is pure joy. My favorite thing about Funkdozer is the inextricable link between our friendship and our music. The music relies on our friendship and our friendship relies on our music. To offer an example, our music has a lot of group improvisation: Someone \u2018says\u2019 something, and someone else responds, and the \u2018conversation\u2019 on stage goes back and forth. Our musical communication relies on our communication as friends.\u201d<\/p>\n As connected as their band is, LeMeur never thought they would make it to the Llamapalooza stage in their first year at CC. He said that he and his bandmates hoped they could play at Llama by their junior year.<\/p>\n \u201cAs soon as we started thinking about forming a band, we heard about Battle of the Bands and how the winners play at Llama,\u201d LeMeur said. \u201cWe decided that we\u2019d do the competition but didn\u2019t think we\u2019d play at Llama our freshman year.\u201d<\/p>\n The bassist from the band Middle School Dance Party performs at CC\u2019s Battle of the Bands on March 29.<\/p><\/div>\n With 28 bands in the first round at the beginning of March, and nine in the finals on March 28 and 29, it was tricky to earn one of the prized spots on the Llamapalooza stage.<\/p>\n \u201cEach of the bands ranged in age and genre, some of them having played together for four years and others having met the semester before,\u201d said Llamapalooza committee member Sam Tezak \u201916<\/strong>. \u201cElectronic artists, jam bands, quasi-bluegrass quartets, jazz-influenced groups, cover bands, and even a metal band came out to compete and play for their peers.\u201d<\/p>\n Nic Titus \u201915<\/strong>, another Llamapalooza committee member, said that Battle of the Bands is a wonderful opportunity to draw the community together through music.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the finals [in the Cossitt Amphitheater], the students who came had a blast and were dancing the entire night,\u201d Titus said. \u201cIt was extremely rewarding to see so many people having a great time at an event that required a lot of attention and work. CC students always have a good time when live music is involved, and Battle of the Bands is one of the best events on campus because it allows all the people who are unheard-of a chance to play.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think the music scene at CC is one of the best parts of campus life,\u201d LeMeur said. \u201cThere were nearly 30 bands in Battle this year, which speaks to the wealth of talent and passion for music in the student body. I also love the interactions between bands. It\u2019s not competitive at all. In fact, it\u2019s the opposite. We\u2019re all really supportive of each other. We all put the music first, because we know that that is what really matters.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/files\/2014\/08\/1-Battle-of-the-Bands.jpg\")
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