AHS hosted the third annual Battle of the Bands on May 20. The event featured performers of all genres, from cover bands to alternative bands to hard-core rock. By the end of the night, Oh, Satellite was crowded the winner, with Townhouse placing second.

The event was hosted in the auditorium from 7:00 until almost 12:00. During some songs, attendees broke out their cell phones to sway with the music. During others, students formed a makeshift mosh-pit to rock out to the bands.  “It’s pretty awesome. There’s a lot of energy and the bands are really good,” junior Bernard Cholub-Frau said.

Each student or parent received one vote with their entrance ticket, unless they bought more. Attendees could then put their tickets in bags that had each bands name near the stage to vote. After all the performances, Townhouse and Oh, Satellite were named semi-finalists. Both bands performed one more song before the final round of voting.

The victory for Oh, Satellite was all the more exciting for the members because it was their first major performance. The band is made up of sophomore Alec Stewart, junior Tyler Miller, junior Randy Ma, junior Quinn Ralston and junior Andy Tran. The boys had one of the largest mosh-pits of the night during their performance. “I think it was a lot of fun,” Ma said. “The crowd has a great energy. I love the crowd.”

The band is looking forward to performing again after their success. “Expect bigger things happening in the near future,” Oh, Satellite said on their facebook page.

The event was organized by AHS parent Kathie Turner, who began planning the event a few months ago. The process was slightly tumultuous, as the event was moved from the gym to the cafeteria to the auditorium before the final location was selected. Despite the bumpy start, Turner thinks it was a great night.  “I think that this has been the best year ever,” she said.

Turner also credits AHS parent Matt Tourville for helping the make the night a success. He was responsible for lining up all of the bands. Tourville even has his own Celtic-rock band, Edsall Road, which performs at local venues.

As for plans for next year, Turner does not know whether or not she will plan the event. “Every year I say I won’t, but then I always do,” Turner said.