CREDIT: CANDIS BROSS
The winner of Battle of the Bands will play at the Jack Richardson Awards Hall of Fame Rock Showcase at Call the Office on April 16.

The Fanshawe Student Union (FSU) and a group of Fanshawe students are bringing a three-day Battle of the Bands competition to the college.

Kelsey Schachow, one of the organizers of the event, said she and her team of students were looking to organize a concert on campus but were struggling to raise the funds and coordinate around other campus events.

When they saw that FSU was organizing a Battle of the Bands, Schachow and her team decided this would be the perfect opportunity to collaborate.

They are now partnered with Kevin “Beef” Masterson, the FSU events and activities manager, and Tim Fraser, the FSU events and activities programmer.

“When we met with Tim and Kevin they said they had never really done any promotions for the event in the past so it was the perfect opportunity for us as Business Administrative Marketing students,” Schachow said.

Schachow said this event fulfills more than just a course requirement for their Business and Consumer Events group project.

“We all have friends who are artists or know artists. We wanted to choose an event that any student could relate to: music.”

Schachow said 12 bands are registered for the competition. Every band is required to have at least one Fanshawe student in the band.

The winner of the event will play at the Jack Richardson Awards Hall of Fame Rock Showcase at Call the Office on April 16.

On March 22 and 23 each band will have about 10 minutes to play a set. The top four bands from these two days will move on to the final show on March 30.

They also hope to raise some money for a good cause. Schachow said the group aims to raise at least $500 on the night of the final competition, with all donations going towards the not-for-profit club Fanshawe Rotaract.

“Fanshawe Rotaract… focuses on volunteering, professional development and friendship so we thought what better partnership to help young Fanshawe artists gain experience and potentially start their career,” she said. Schachow is also the president of the Rotaract club and said she thinks this is a great opportunity to give back to the organization.

She said the Battle of the Bands event combines some of the best things in the world.

“Support your fellow students and enjoy great music with great food and good people,” Schachow said.

The preliminary rounds will be held at 9 p.m. in Out Back Shack on March 22 and 23, with the final round being held at the same time on March 30. The Out Back Shack will be serving food at the event.