Bands will battle at annual Lakeside High School event

The headbanging at Lakeside High School this weekend won't be coming from the smacks of football helmets inside Panther Stadium.

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The school's Parent Teacher Student Organization will play host on Saturday to its annual Battle of the Bands.

Five area bands, each featuring at least one musician enrolled in high school, intend to go to war using electric guitars and drum kits in the Lakeside commons area. The performing groups will be defending champion Roselyn, Color Colour, Open Casket Smile, Because We Were Dying and Blackout.

"I love the Battle of the Bands," said Amy Cooter, the parent of a Lakeside student and organizer of the event. "I go whether I'm working or not. It's a lot of fun."

The winner can receive a $125 cash prize or a chance for some studio time.

"This year, they have a choice," Cooter said. "They can take half of the ... money in return for an opportunity to record a two-song disc in our studio at Lakeside. The winning band also gets an opening spot for a show at Sector 7G," an all-ages Augusta club.

Though the Battle of the Bands acts as a fundraiser for the PTSO, raising money is not the primary purpose for the concert.

"We're not going to make a ton of money off of it," Cooter said. "But it gives the kids a venue and an outlet to express themselves. And it brings other people into the school to see our school."

Also, Cooter said, such events are needed to give area students a different focus for their energies beyond athletic endeavors.

"Not everybody is a baseball player or a football player," she said. "Some are musicians, and they need an outlet."

Spectators will select the winning band by voting with their ticket stubs. Tickets can be purchased for $5 and will be available at the door.

The show starts at 6 p.m. and concludes at 10 p.m. Each band will perform a 30-minute set.

IF YOU GO

What: Battle of the Bands

Where: Lakeside High School commons area

When: 6-10 p.m. Saturday

Admission: $5