Good music, good times and a good cause will take over the Newport tonight as Romophos puts on their third-annual Battle of the Bands concert.
Romophos, a class honorary, is a group of sophomores dedicated to volunteer service and leadership activities. Its big event of the year is to stage a Battle of the Bands contest between local bands to benefit charity. Last year the event raised around $1,000 for VH-1’s Save the Music program. This year they chose to give the proceeds to Salesian Boys & Girls Club of Columbus.
The charity is a non-profit organization that provides a place for inner-city children to go after school. The children receive valuable job training, a multitude of educational activities, cultural development opportunities and a plethora of other recreational programs.
“We chose Salesian Boys & Girls Center because it’s an important charity and it’s closer,” said Corey Stambaugh, member of Romophos and organizer of the event. “We can actually see the effects our donations have instead of never really knowing, like with the VH-1 Save the Music.”
Proceeds come from the $5 admission charge at the event. Stambaugh is hoping for a turnout of around 500. Mass publicity around campus and in dorm cafeterias will hopefully entice the students.
The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the first band taking to the stage at 7 p.m. Attendees have the chance to win various door prizes from local businesses like McDonald’s and Long’s Bookstore. Bands will also bring their own prizes to distribute. In between sets, Romophos will spend time talking about the charity.
The band Phylum will open the show followed by Coincidence Maybe, Mrs. Children, Two Day Panic Attack and Genuine Son.
“About 12 bands filled out applications, and we just narrowed them down to bands we thought would make a good show,” Stambaugh said.
“It’s going to be a good time,” Phylum guitarist Chris Driscoll said. “We’re excited to go out and play with a bunch of bands, and you get to help with a good cause.”
“I think the best thing is that this is going to something worthwhile. It takes a lot of work to put this on, and we’ve gone through a lot of stuff to get it going,” said Stambaugh. “The most important thing is that this is for a charity; this is for kids.”
