Battle of the Bands returns, packed audience fills Lamson

Ellie Whitman, Special to The Denisonian

On Feb. 7, Doobie Radio hosted its Battle of the Bands competition for the first time in over two years. The event was held in Lamson Lodge, with the four-band lineup starting their performances at 10:30 p.m. The bands playing were Doghouse, the Overalls, Bundo and Phillip and the Screwdrivers.

Skye Wenzinger ‘27, the station manager at Doobie Radio, has been a part of the team since her second semester of freshman year. Her passion for Doobie stems from her love for music and radio.

“It was a big thing that I liked. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, student radio, I have to be a part of it!’” said Wenzinger. “It was the first club I applied for, and I was very happy to get in. I king of just weaseled my way into [executive board] and now station manager.”

Doobie is a student-run organization that streams music seven days a week, but their love for live music doesn’t run dry. When Eli Lishack ‘26, a member of the student band Doghouse, reached out to Doobie about bringing Battle of the Bands back, it was an idea they couldn’t turn down.

“Eli was really passionate about it and wanted to get it going, and Doobie has always been a big fan of the live bands on campus,” said Wenzinger.

Lishack and his band participated in Battle of the Bands in 2023.

“Battle of the Bands in Fall 2023 was such a blast and a great success,” said Lishack. “It was so huge to have a large crowd to play for and to enjoy an event where all the current bands could play together.”

He said the atmosphere was something he will never forget.

“The energy at the show alone was enough to want something like it to happen again. I wanted to help make it a memorable show that made the walk through four degree weather worth it,” said Lishack.

Prior to the event, Wenzinger discussed how collaborations aren’t always easy to coordinate, and Doobie has to be prepared if things don’t go according to plan.

“We are always trying to do events and put on shows, but it can be difficult, and people can get really busy,” Wenzinger explained, “With this, we’re really hoping that the more we try to do stuff, the more things will go well.”

Doobie Radio has been a consistent station on campus since the early 1950s, but over time, there have been massive changes to the program. In 2019, Doobie began to operate as a streaming only service, making the content more accessible.

Wenzinger shared that while the music is something anyone can tune into, Doobie is meant to be a place for all students.

“One of my goals is to make it much more open, and that everyone feels comfortable to come in, join, and apply,” said Wenzinger. “Generally, we just want students to share their music taste, and we like having a wide variety.”

However, the goal of Battle of the Bands isn’t just to host a successful live music event for Doobie; it is also a way to promote the student musicians and get more people on campus involved.

“Beyond just having a fun, very quintessentially ‘college night’ on campus, it’s a great place to promote the bands to everyone. It’s a way to even encourage new students and underclassmen. They can be a part of a band, they can start a band. Campus is here to support you,” said Wenzinger.

With the music scene at Denison growing over the years, Battle of the Bands helped bring campus together through a night of live music and community involvement.

“Having a great flow of new, talented bands at Denison makes me proud and hopeful for the future of live music here,” said Lishack.