A battle is coming to UW-Eau Claire’s campus this Friday night.

The word “battle” may conjure up multiple meanings for college students. For some, this correlates with an intense session of video gaming in the comfort of a dorm room. Others may let their minds travel into the realms of their history textbooks, visualizing knights in shining armor taking their victims down with razor sharp swords, or even soldiers defeating their international enemies with muskets strapped tightly to their backs.

At Eau Claire’s “Battle of the Bands,” however, a handful of artists will take their place within the Schofield Auditorium spotlight, using only their musical talents as a means of weaponry.

The event, beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, is set to feature five competing bands of varying musical genres: Geoff Peterson, Truth Before Treason, Emerson Freybler, Boats and Bridges and Dissonant Mind. The show will close with a headlining performance from the musical group Whosah!, an up and coming indie rock band as well as recent victors of the University of Minnesota’s own Battle of the Bands.

Nick Pritchard, a senior criminal justice student and organizer for the event, said this is the first Battle of the Bands Eau Claire has hosted. Pritchard said his primary motivation for creating the event back in November of 2016 was to generate funds for the university’s Alternative Spring Break trip to Indianapolis involving community members.

Pritchard said he is hopeful the event will generate unity through music within the community.

“I am interested to see Eau Claire’s community and students come together and enjoy the music that is played by those that pass them on the daily,” Pritchard said.

Jack Shaw, the guitar player for the hard rock band Truth Before Treason, said he is excited to showcase his band’s music to the students of Eau Claire and put on a captivating show.

Shaw said Truth Before Treason formed when the members were in high school, as they grouped together to perform in the school’s talent show. Since then, the band has performed in a multitude of other Battle of the Bands competitions, as well as at various venues across the midwest, including Summerfest, Rock Fest and Noah’s Ark.

“As a band, we always enjoy bringing our unique mix of humor and energy to our performances,” Shaw said on behalf of the group. “We want to give the audience an experience they wouldn’t normally receive at a normal local performance.”

Only time will tell if the experience the band provides will be enough to grant them the title.

Doors for the event open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $2 for students and $4 for the public before the day of the event, and rise to $5 for students and $7 for the public the day of the event. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online, where people can also find additional information about the battle.