Bring your own (cover) band

Tonight the people of Carolina Productions are offering a chance for students and members of the community to B.Y.O.B. No, not that "B."

They are hosting their annual Bring Your Own Band - a battle of the bands. CP puts on two battles each year, one each semester.

"The fall semester is just for USC students," said Ashley Kempson, a third-year marketing and finance student and concerts commissioner for CP. "The one in the spring is open to the public."

But what's so different about this battle? Each band will be playing solely covers.

"We had done a tribute style a couple years ago. We wanted to mix things up again this semester and try something new," Kempson said.

Carolina Productions has been putting on the Battle of the Bands since before 1998, which is as far back as the current members can remember. B.Y.O.B., however, has only been going on for four or five years. CP wants to keep B.Y.O.B. to mainly USC students, but it did advertise in local music stores around campus to generate some non-USC interest.

George Stevens, a third-year visual communications student, has been going to the Battle of the Bands for a couple of years.

"They're always pretty fun. I got the itch to play and I saw a poster for it and thought, 'I'll give it a shot,'" he said.

Stevens was all set to hit the stage tonight until an Exacto knife accident for a class project incapacitated his finger.

"About ten minutes after I cut my finger open, they called to tell me that I got in. I just said, 'I was actually about to call you,'" Stevens said.

Although he won't be performing tonight, Stevens had planned on covering the musical talents of Ryan Adams. Stevens has been playing the guitar for about six and a half years and the harmonica, which he would have also performed with, for two or three.

"I'm a huge fan of (Adams) and he's got a decent following on the college level," Stevens said. "I planned on playing 'Come Pick Me Up,' a fan favorite, 'New York, New York' is his pop hit and 'Please Don't Let Me Go', my favorite one."

Each band is slated for 15 minutes, which is enough time to play three or four songs. In order to get into the competition they each had to submit a demo of the musician they wanted to cover, or their own stuff, along with a standard application for review. The Carolina Productions staff then sifted through the eight entries to decide which five would make it.

"We had a smaller selection, but it was one of the most musically talented groups we've had," Kempson said. "We had to debate for a while on who we really wanted."

There were no guidelines for the auditions; each band could play whomever they wished. Each was told that all songs performed must be covers by the same artist. CP did ask that each band refrain from cursing in their performances.

The line-up features five local bands, some with students from USC. They are The Silver Screen, covering Rage Against The Machine; Eleven After, covering Jimmy Eat World; All Good Citizens, covering The Beastie Boys; Essential to the Soul, covering Mary J. Blige and Shallow Palace who is covering The White Stripes.

The event will take place at 8 p.m. in the Russell House Ballroom. Admission is free. The first-place winner receives a $500 Best Buy gift card, second place will get a $200 gift card and third will get a $100 gift card.