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As freshman band After Hours took the stage at Mudpit on Saturday night, their friends rushed to the front of the packed basement to cheer them on. Screaming the lyrics to covers of “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen and “Forget You” by CeeLo Green, those in attendance said the crowd was roaring throughout their set.

“I’ve done a few (musical) charity events, so they’re always the best and the sweetest environments,” After Hours drummer Goldie Singer said. “It’s just a really good way to combine both something that can raise awareness and also have live music.”

House show venue Mudpit collaborated with OttoTHON for its second-annual Battle of the Bands on Dec. 2. Four bands — After Hours, Gunk!, The Gritty Jawns and Spencer Arjang — competed for a ten-minute performance slot at OttoTHON’s dance marathon fundraiser next semester. After attendees casted votes through Venmo donations to OttoTHON, After Hours came out on top.

Camille Rowlands-Rees, a junior at Syracuse University and an organizer of Mudpit, said the event was one of the venue’s best. With different people invested in different bands, attendees filtered in and out continuously throughout the night.

Rowlands-Rees said Mudpit’s willingness to collaborate with other groups on campus sets them apart. Mudpit doesn’t have an outlet for charity at their normal shows, and she said Saturday night was an opportunity to use the venue to do something new.

The atmosphere of Mudpit is different from other house music venues, OttoTHON internal director Ashley Goss said. She described the venue as down to earth, open to anything and fun to work with, which is why they partnered with them.

When Goss took on her current role at OttoTHON, she made it a goal to expand the organization and make their fundraising efforts less “secluded.” She wants OttoTHON to become a movement and an experience rather than just one event.

“Rather than take profit from the show or get donations, we needed a little bit of something more exciting, something different than that was going on,” Goss said. “It’s always good to feel connected to a certain performer, band or whoever you’re there to see.”

Courtesy of Jeanisha Mariah

In addition to After Hours, who won the competition, three other bands competed. People cast votes for their favorite bands and sent donations to OttoTHON on Venmo.
Courtesy of Jeanisha Mariah

Working with Mudpit specifically plays into OttoTHON’s goals because it elevates their main event, a dance marathon, with live music performances. Goss wants to use SU’s music scene to OttoTHON’s advantage.

“We have this new access into crowds of people that we would have never attracted before,” Goss said. “We’re trying to really transform our image into something less of ‘hey, you need to give me money,’ and more into ‘this is a really fun experience, you get to change kids’ lives.’”

Goss said that the Battle of the Bands collaboration is also a way for the band members themselves to give to the organization in a way beyond a donation. The music scene at SU provides a niche outlet for charity organizations to garner support.

“I think (a bigger charity event) would be a really cool thing for us to try and do because we have such a positive music scene here, and each house has its own audience,” Rowlands-Rees said. “We could reach a lot more people if we all did an event together.”

Rowlands-Rees said After Hours stood out from the other performers because of their energy as a new freshman band. People were curious about them and interested in their covers.

The band played “Skate” by Silk Sonic, “Lady Marmalade” by Labelle and other hits from CeeLo Green, Stevie Wonder and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They usually pick what songs to cover based on fun rhythms and complex compositions. After Hours performed first and created a high-energy atmosphere that other bands maintained throughout the night.

Darius Baharlo, the bassist for After Hours, said the Battle of the Bands aspect of the show raised the stakes of the performance but created a friendly, fun environment. Playing for a cause, especially a charitable one, makes performers want to play even better, he said.

“Playing for a cause is something that’s pretty beautiful … it’s just a unique opportunity that you don’t get all the time,” Baharlo said. “We’re playing for such a cool and important cause tonight and all this money is going to charity. It makes it even more important and even more fun.”

Published on December 3, 2023 at 9:01 pm