The Dialogue Wins Towson Battle of the Bands: Band to Open for Tigerfest

The Dialogue performing Friday night at the Battle of the Bands competition. The Dialogue won a Paul Reed Smith guitar as well as an opening slot for Tigerfest on April 25.

The Dialogue won the annual Battle of the Bands competition Friday night in Paws after several other rock performances, CAB Programming Chair and host Amanda Walter announced.

The indie rock band was "speechless" when they won the competition, lead singer Drew Shaffer said. It was their first performance they've had since they finished recording their new album, to be released this spring, guitarist Brian Pollack said.

The Campus Activities Board hosted the event on March 6, from 7 to 10 p.m., where bands from the Towson music scene competed. The winner received an opening performance for the All American Rejects at Tigerfest, scheduled for April 25, and a Paul Reed Smith guitar. All bands that previously performed came to the stage at 10 p.m. where Walter announced the winner.

Some Like It Hot opened first, followed by Count Me In, Railaway, The Dialogue, and Getting to Goodbye. A group of judges who were members of CAB arrived at the event to decide which band would play at Tigerfest.

"We judge them based on their press kits and we judge them based on what we thought would fit Tigerfest," Walter said.

Hundreds of Towson students with their families came to the event to cheer on the bands. "A lot of our friends go here, so we feel at home," Some Like It Hot guitarist and business major Greg Parker said.

Each band also had at least one Towson student as a member of the band. "It's cool... to play the festival where we go to school." Drummer Jordan Goodman said. "If I could pick any festival we can play for, it would be at Towson."

CAB Assistant Director Janet Kirsch said that Tigerfest would also be great for a band's resume. "We like to give Towson students a great opportunity to move forward in their careers," she said.

Some bands aren't so sure of continuing after Battle of the Bands. Music education major and member of Some Like It Hot Mikiel Peratino said: "Some of our members are in other bands, too. We have to talk to each other first."

Others are even more hopeful of getting noticed. "We're trying to go as far as we can with our music, wherever it takes us," Chris Diller of Railaway said. "We want to live passionately."