Wailing guitar solos and great acoustics were plentiful at the kickoff event of LLS month—Battle of the Bands. Bands played rock-and-roll versions of songs ranging from “Under the Sea” to “Sugar We’re Going Down” while raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society.

The SGA set a goal to raise around $1,500 of the total $80,000 goal for the month of February and followed through, raising around $1,500. To vote for the winning band, attendees put money into shoeboxes representing each of the bands, and the band with the most money in its box won.

“I was pretty surprised at the turnout,” said SGA member Jenna Hosker. “This year we had a lot more people than last year.”

The Cream Faced Loons started the evening off with plenty of energy and an eclectic mix of music selections. The Monopoly, which went fourth, won the event.

“It’s just five people that got together that really wanted to play,” said winning band member Mathew Koretsky.

The event was held in the Whittier Woods Auditorium with about 60 people in attendance. There was a special performance by Dale and the Zdubbs at the end, which allowed members of the bands who had previously performed to sit back and jam.

The ambiance of the evening was perfect with just the stage lights and twinkle lights on around the stage, though the lights went on after all the acts had performed to allow the audience to donate more money to their favorite bands.

After people donated, the winning band performed again to close the show. There were scattered chairs about the room, but fans discarded them in favor of cheering for their favorite bands instead. Although the show was very stop-and-start, fans were upbeat and loud the whole time.

Junior Zach Salem-Mackall played with the band The Friction in Your Jeans, despite his shoulder injury.

“It’s just fun to come out here and play,” Salem-Mackall said. “Performing for the audience and watching them smile is definitely the best part.”

Video by Caitlin Sullivan.