There is a battle coming to Missouri Southern at the end of February, though it will not be fought with conventional weapons, troops, and heavy artillery. The weapons in this conflict will be dueling guitars, heavy distortion, fast beats, and driving vocals. The only casualties will be the ones who can't play.

Southern, in connection with the Internet Underground Music Archive (IUMA), will play host to the College Band Search 2000. Six bands, each consisting of at least one Southern student, will play for a chance to advance to the second round of the IUMA contest.

The winning band will then compete against winners from other colleges and universities across the country in hopes of advancing to the final round. The last round consists of four bands that will be flown, all expenses paid, to San Francisco, Calif., for the final battle.

The event's winning band will receive $10,000, a record deal, and a major promotional push for the band. The campus activity organization from the winner's college will also receive $10,000.

The Southern stage won't be the only battleground. After one band wins from its live performance, the subsequent stages of the contest will be voted online. Voters will select their choices based on the bands' Web sites at IUMA for each additional round until the final four are selected for the trip to San Francisco.

Desiree Petersen, concert chairman for the Campus Activities Board, is organizing the event, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 29. She hopes to hold it in the Black Box Theatre.

"All the bands, no matter what, do get something out of this," Petersen said. "They get to take home live recordings of their shows on CD." Southern's winner also receives $250. Second place receives $150, while third place takes home $100.

To enter the contest, at least one member of the band must attend Southern and each band must create a band site at IUMA's main site by Feb. 1. The IUMA Web site contains hundreds of bands and is a popular stop on the Internet for aspiring musicians.

"There are thousands and thousands of hits on that site every day, so you get noticed by people," Petersen said. "Indie labels go there sometimes and there have been several bands picked up by IUMA." Petersen is not only organizing the event, but her band, Carbon Star, is also entered.

However, she assures her influence will not bring her band an unfair advantage. "I'm in charge of the battle, but what I'm going to do for judging is get a non-biased judging board," she said. "My committee [Campus Activities Concerts Committee] is going to find the judges because I'm in one of the bands."

Last Call, a hardcore band from Joplin, will participate in the battle. The music is old-school style, with strong punk-hardcore and metal influences. Parasite Host, a "heavy alternative" band, will also be at the contest. They have been together for three months, and this will be their first live show.

"We kind of met through Southern," said singer Brandon Nivens, a sophomore mass communications major. "We're trippy, spaced-out, alternative hardcore." Deeproot is also entered in the event. The members are Nivens' roommates and have only been playing together for four months. Guitarist Eric Doolin admitted he knew little about the contest, but was excited about having a chance to perform.

"I don't know very much about it, but, hey, it's a show so we'll play it," he said. Bazooka Joe, formerly known as Speedwing, is an older band that has been together for about six years, longer than any of the other entries. The band's present lineup has been the same for nearly two years.

"We do a wide variety of rock 'n' roll, classic rock to modern rock, and do quite a bit of originals," said Mike Palmer, a sophomore psychology major. Palmer is the band's singer, bassist, and keyboard player. Just Us, another band in the battle, is originally from Fayetteville, Ark., and has been playing together for five years. Band member Jehiah Burchfield, junior history major, described the band as alternative rock, but said "we try not to be pigeon-holed to any specific style."

Published by The Chart on 1-28-00.

Article's Posting at the Chart's Website