With the lights dimmed and the stage set, a battle was ready to ensue in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr.

University Union. This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill battlefield, but the conditions were perfect for the University Board and The

Daily Eastern News Battle of the Bands event.

Sweat and pride poured from the bands as they exchanged blows for the prize of a $150 gift card to Guitar Center.

With the instruments tuned and the amps shuffled to the side the first group Verbal Epiphany took the stage.

Verbal Epiphany is the alias stage name for Jake Unterberger. Unterberger, a communication major, is a solo hip-hop performer who produces his own beats and rhymes.

Being the first act is always a stressing place for any musician, but Unterberger handled the performance with veteran charm as he made his way through a set-list of original material and one spontaneous freestyle piece.

“At first I had to work to try to get the crowd into it, but I got some of the crowd into it,” Unterberger said. “It was a good and diverse show.”

Diverse is certainly one word to describe the audience, as well as the variety of performances heard throughout the night.

The event featured four local musical groups that included Verbal Epiphany as well as Madison’s Avenue, So They Ran and The Staff Blues Band.

With the crowd full and the anticipation building, So They Ran took the stage.

So They Ran is a band comprised of Alex Castillo, guitarist and vocalist; Ethan Gross, bassist; and Eric Bartl, drummer.

Though the band struggled through a slight tuning mishap they soldiered through their set of melodic guitar plucks fused with punk influenced rhythmic structures.

“Our lead singer kind of has a stage fright type thing, but I think all in all we pulled it out at the end,” Bartl said.

The next band that ran the gauntlet on stage was Madison’s Avenue. Logan Richardson, lead vocalist for the metal-based act, was sure to inform the crowd how much he appreciated them before the first instrument was played. This may have been a strategic move, but after all, this is a battle.

The final act was the most known performer of the event and needed no introduction as the seven-piece group The Staff Blues Band came into the spotlight.

The Staff Blues Band has won this battle in the past and returned to defend their honor as one of Charleston’s top acts to book.

After a stellar performance that included brass instruments and a keyboard, The Staff Blues Band casually bowed and thanked the remaining attendees for their support.

As the night ended Lauren Phillips, the UB coordinator for the event, gathered the bands once more in front of the battlefield.

With no delay she read the results, “Madison’s Avenue won.”

“I think there was about 50 to 80 people here, which is always good,” Phillips said. “It may look like there isn’t a lot of people, but that is because it is just so open. It was cool ’cause the crowd gathered around here (as she points) and they were dancing and stuff. It was kind of difficult pulling it all together, but just this year ’cause of a little confusion. But it went over smoothly and it was cool.”

Brad York can be reached at 581-7942 or