Come on, feel the noise: Five bands, one night, one chance for the ultimate gig

The coveted spot to play a gig at Mason Day is up for grabs once again. So apply some eye liner, wash your heavy metal t-shirt of choice that’s at the bottom of your closet and get your devil’s horn wrist control down because battle of the bands is coming to George Mason University.

The free event, which will be held in Dewberry Hall on Thursday from 8-10 p.m., will give five bands the chance to prove that all those late nights in the garage practicing weren’t just an excuse to rebel against their parents and get chicks.

At the end of the night, one band will be crowned the champion, while the rest will be left in rock purgatory.

The rock n’ roll show down will be fueled by the music of five bands with rivaling individual styles.

Two of the bands duking it out, House of Echo and Rites of Ash, are bands on two different extremes of the genre spectrum, who will be attending the event.

House of Echo’s soulful rock hybrid sound runs parallel to that of Dave Matthews Band and The Police.

Equipped with a brass section and Mason’s very own Paul Eldridge on guitar, the band can be counted as one of the top competitors.

Then there is Rites of Ash, a hard rock electric pop group that intertwines scream-o music with House of GaGa influences creating a genre all their own. Their no strings attached attitude — the band is independent — allows them to test and decipher what makes their multi-genre sound a success.

The other bands participating in the musical staged brawl will be I Am the Kaleidoscope, Find the Focus and The Automatics.

The progressive rock sounds of I Am the Kaleidoscope, with stand-out tracks like “Skeleton Key,” contain tight guitar riffs akin to those of John Frusciante during the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ By The Way era.

Find the Focus, will balance Kaleidoscope’s fast-paced songs with acoustic tracks that feature mellow, soft-spoken lyrics.

This multi-genre show will give any college radio advocate a reason to come out and take a listen.

A prize of $200 and an opportunity to play at Mason Day will be awarded to the first place winner. The second place band will receive $100 and third place will receive $75.