Six bands will face off against each other on Thursday, April 19 at 8 p.m. in the Volstorff Ballroom. The University Program Council and State Tech have teamed up to present the annual SDSU Battle of the Bands. Six bands will compete for three cash prizes: first place at $500, second place at $350 and fan favorite at $100.

“In order to keep up with technology and be more accurate, this year people will be able to text a number in order to vote,” said UPC Concert Coordinator Alex Kunz.

First and second place are 50/50 between judges and fans, but fan favorite is strictly for attendees.

Four judges have been selected for the event. One of them is Alex Krug.

“Although I am a judge for the battle of the bands I have not been informed of who is all competing this year,” Krug said. “If it’s anything like last year, all who attend will be surprised at the amount of talent our students have.”

Krug has worked as the music director of KSDJ, the campus radio station, for the past two years.

This year’s lineup includes Gonzo 5, The Broken Resolve, The Paradigm, The New FM, The Tinder Box and Piss Glue and the French Connection. The Tinder Box and The Broken Resolve are returning bands to the SDSU battle stage.

“We have participated in the DSU Battle of the Bands twice and this will be our second time at SDSU’s Battle,” said Jared Ribstein of The Broken Resolve. “We haven’t gotten first place yet, but it’s always a fun atmosphere. Being able to see talented local bands all in one place opens up a lot of networking opportunities.”

Some of the bands are more seasoned and familiar to the stage, however, no one is at any disadvantage, Kunz said.

“If bands are really worried about it, then I just strongly encourage them to bring as many fans as possible. There is strength in numbers,” he said.

Another veteran to the battle scene is The Tinder Box.

“We have participated in quite a few [battles], actually,” said Chad Konrad of The Tinder Box. “We approach a battle of the bands as more of a chance to play and gain further exposure and less of literal ‘battle;’ it’s a chance for bands to share one another’s fan base and have fun playing at the same time.”

Krug said he takes an unbiased approach to the bands.

“For both my position with the radio and as a judge, it is key to set aside all personal opinions and focus on the talent of the performer,” he said.

Kunz strived to find bands with different sounds to compete this year. Fifteen bands were selected, and then narrowed down to six over time based on availability and interest in the battle.

“We’re from Sioux Falls, S.D. and have been together with our present line-up for a few years. We’re not really sure how to explain our sound, but we usually just call it pop-punk/rock,” Ribstein said. “It feels great [to participate]. It’ll be a lot of fun to play again this year. We are going to have a lot of fun whether we win or lose, so we’re just really looking forward to it.”

The event is free to students and UPC will be passing out free T-shirts. For more information, contact Alex Kunz at (605)688- 6173.