USF’s Campus Activities Board will accept student band applications for Battle of the Bands until Feb. 22. ORACLE PHOTO/LILY FOX

When USF students walk past a parking garage on a clear night, there’s a chance they’ll find more guitars, drums and amplifiers than cars. 

USF’s music scene is a grassroots community of student musicians who balance coursework with rehearsals and performances. 

USF’s Campus Activities Board is giving these artists a chance to step out of the garage and into the spotlight through its Battle of the Bands competition on March 27.

Battle of the Bands is an annual competition between bands hosted in the Marshall Student Center’s Amphitheater, according to CAB.

A judging panel selects the winning bands, which later open for a national headliner during the Bullstock Music Festival, according to CAB.

Bullstock is USF’s annual spring music festival that has hosted local and national performers, such as the All-American Rejects, according to CAB. 

Previous Battle of the Bands competitors said that participating in the event is a unique opportunity for USF student bands. 

Related: USF Battle of the Bands showcases music scene ahead of Bullstock

Caitlyn Deam, the student programs coordinator for the Center for Student Involvement, said 11 bands competed in the Battle of the Bands for three spots in the Bullstock lineup last year.

However, Deam said only six bands will have the opportunity to compete for two spots in Bullstock this year. 

Applications for Battle of the Bands officially opened on Jan. 28 and will stay open via BullsConnect until Feb. 22 at 11:59 p.m. 

Deam said bands will be updated on their submissions by March 2 at 5 p.m.

She said CAB is looking for bands that meet all requirements and submit 3 “solid” songs, which can be originals or covers, for a total of 15 minutes or less.

Among last year’s winners was Mossheads, a rock band formed in a home garage. 

Last year was the band’s second time participating in Battle of the Bands — and their first performing on the Bullstock stage.

Elijah Carter, a senior environmental science major and bassist for Mossheads, said it was amazing to play for the huge crowd at Bullstock last spring.

“It felt like we were on tour,” Carter said. “Professional sound, playing next to big bands…it was pretty sweet.”

Ethan Chiapetta, Mossheads’ guitarist, said that even though he is not a USF student, he was able to meet many fellow musicians and friends through his band.

Chiapetta also said Battle of the Bands brings together musicians and music fans alike.

“I think [Battle of the Bands] is a great way to bring a lot of people together, even if you’re not playing with a band,” Chiappetta said. “There’s a huge community of musicians and people that enjoy music at USF.”

Related: USF’s new music curriculum gives more freedom to students 

Katharsis, a rock and metal band that competed in Battle of the Bands last year, was formed by two separate duos who happened to be practicing in the same USF parking garage at the same time. 

Owen Johnson, Katharsis’ drummer and a senior business analytics major, said the band ended up being a perfect matchup for the duos.

“It was like a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of chance,” Johnson said.

Carson Dunham, a junior mechanical engineering major and one of Katharsis’s guitarists, said Battle of the Bands was the band’s second “real” show — only having performed together once before.

Despite Katharsis’s lack of experience at the time, Dunham said the band received a lot of followers on social media after the show.

“It creates a culture,” Johnson said. “USF students are surprisingly supportive. They’ll come up to you while you’re practicing and just ask if they can sit and do their homework while you play.”

Related: USF band turns on-campus garages into their stage

Indigo Lane is a band formed within the walls of the USF School of Music, comprising music majors who originally formed the group for a class requirement.

Conner Dirksen, a sophomore music major and one of Indigo Lane’s guitarists, said Battle of the Bands is a hub for making band connections.

“We met the band Rogues’ Gallery at Battle of the Bands, and we ended up playing a show with them for Parents Weekend later that year,” Dirksen said. “We’re even playing a show at Crowbar with Mossheads soon. We never would have met these people if we hadn’t applied.”

Alejandra Acero, a sophomore music major and Indigo Lane’s bassist, said Battle of the Bands is important for the community at USF.

“You get to be on stage with all these other bands that are awesome,” Acero said. “You get to do a lot of connecting with the other bands as well.”

Acero said participating in Battle of the Bands is a great opportunity regardless of the stage the band plays on.

Chiappeta said the competition is an outlet for musicians to join USF’s music scene, express themselves and compete together.

“It’s a great way to promote yourself and find your community,” Chiappetta said. “Even if you don’t win, you’re going to meet your next guitarist, your next best friend, or the band you’ll be playing shows with for the next three years.”