VICTORIA OLGUIN – NEWS EDITOR
Every year, Fiesta Oyster Bake brings in about 70,000 people to the St. Mary’s campus, where many attend for the great food, music, and livelihood. Music has been a great contribution to Oyster Bake and a favorite of many. With Oyster Bake nearing, San Antonians have already begun looking at the lineup of musicians who will be performing at the event. This year, student musicians at St. Mary’s were given the opportunity to perform at Oyster Bake alongside well-known artists. With only one spot available, they must compete with other musicians for the spot.
On Wednesday, March 7, student musicians gathered on stage with their instruments for the ultimate “Battle of the Bands.” As each band performed, students stepped onto the dance floor, nearing the stage of the band performing. By the end of each student band performance, the cheering from the crowd filled the room. From CMAT’s “I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!” to Rhianna’s “Umbrella,” student bands performed top hits that kept the crowd entertained and matched the 2000’s theme. At the end of the performances, the grand winner of the competition was finally announced. Every band listened attentively along with the crowd, waiting for the results. As the announcer shouted “Something Else!” the crowd began to cheer. The band “Something Else” could not believe they had won the chance to perform at the upcoming Oyster Bake and the experience of the competition was an unforgettable one.
“It’s funny because our band is called ‘Something Else’ and the experience truly was something else. Our performance was matching the energy from the crowd and especially with some of our songs too that fit the theme this year. It wasn’t a matter of standing out but living that moment and having fun. It was definitely something else,” said senior psychology major, Marcos Mendoza. Although the musicians greatly enjoyed performing “Something Else” had only been performing a few days before the competition.
“The most interesting thing about our band ‘Something Else’ is that we actually formed this band 3 days before the performance. Only practiced twice together in total! We didn’t care if we would win or lose. We went into this competition with the mentality and mindset to just go out with a bang and have fun. That was our number one goal. Just to have fun, play as loud as we possibly could, and make the best of it. We didn’t care if one of us missed a chord, forgot a couple of lyrics… or rushed the tempo a bit. All that mattered to us was just to remind ourselves to have fun and to make sure that our audience was on the same page with us,” senior computer information systems major, Joseph Guerra said. Battle of the Bands not only gave bands like ‘Something Else’ the opportunity to perform for a crowd but also allowed them to meet and network with other bands for future musical endeavors.
“Aside from winning this year’s Battle of the Bands, my favorite part of the competition was meeting and networking with students who are musicians who admire and share my passion for music. It’s one thing to be able to understand and relate to other’s music, and it’s another to be able to harness and share that same passion, and this was undoubtedly one of my favorite moments,” Guerra said.
“It was so cool to just talk and vibe with the other members. Not only that but enjoying the songs they played on stage too,” Mendoza continued. Although only one student band will be able to perform at Oyster Bake, every band that participated in the competition was able to bring the St. Mary’s community together through music, making the Battle of the Bands event an important one.
“I believe it is imperative for St. Mary’s to host Battle of the Bands annually because it not only brings the student body together as a community, but it also allows them to let loose a little. Take a load off their shoulders, listen to fantastic music, dance, network, and truly begin to feel that family bonding element of St. Mary’s that no other university can match. I see Battle of the Bands as more than just a competition. It’s an event that brings people together from all ethnic backgrounds, regardless of where they’re from, what they believe in, or what music they favor,” Guerra said. To hear “Something Else” perform at Oyster Bake, visit https://oysterbake.com.