Between the layers of re-paved concrete all across Los Angeles are the footprints of iconic musicians who were once young dreamers. The city is peppered with historical music venues, but one has a particular ring to it in the modern zeitgeist, as its stage has held the early performances of some of the biggest names in rock, folk and pop since the early 1960s.
The Troubadour, sitting in the bustling community of West Hollywood, has been the launchpad of legendary artists for decades — Elton John’s U.S. debut in 1970 and Harry Styles’ first U.S. performance as a solo act in 2017, just to name a couple. On April 16, a number of CSUN musicians will be adding their names to that list.
Thursday evening will turn the Troubadour into a mecca for young student musicians as a “Battle of the Bands” ensues between artists affiliated with student-run record labels at CSUN, USC and UCLA. The ticketed event will invite attendees to enjoy a night stacked with nine diverse musical acts hailing from the three major public universities in the greater Los Angeles area.
Josue May, a graduating senior in the music industry studies program and co-executive at CSUN’s student-run record label, VOVE, had the idea to reach out to surrounding schools with similar majors in an attempt to network. What began as an idea for a mixer, blossomed into a collaboration event once May connected with leaders from USC’s 840 West Records and UCLA’s Cherry Pop Records.
Together with UCLA’s Aditi Sreenivas and USC’s Sophie Ward, the three met over the course of several months, strategizing what a crossover event would look like, and the consensus was a friendly competition-style battle of the bands, showcasing each label’s chosen artists. The team made pitch decks to eventually secure Marshall and The Beam as sponsors and the Troubadour as the venue. Now, the work lies in making the event a success by connecting three different communities under one very historic roof.
“We put such a huge emphasis on building connections early because you never know who’s gonna make a really great connection,” May said. “And you know, the opposite: who you can help out in the future through your network. We have real life artists and these are real life consequences and rewards that will come out of this, so I think everybody was really up for the task.”
Representing CSUN will be the three VOVE-affiliated acts Junah, Nick Colton and Nick Moon. 840 West Records is set to showcase Amelie, Skusic and Off-Peak, and Cherry Pop Records will have The 529s, The Sunset Wrecks and Lady Vengeance in the ring for their school. Each act will perform a setlist that includes two original songs and one cover song, with the winning team to be determined by the attending audience.
“The VOVE team and artists have put real intention into every part of this performance, and we are focused on making a lasting impact,” Colton said. “Regardless of the outcome, we’re going to leave everything on that stage, but you’ll have to come see how it plays out.”
One hurdle for CSUN is that the university is widely considered a “commuter school,” meaning there is not as large of a concentration of students staying on campus compared to the other participating schools. Despite this, the CSUN team has expressed faith that the school will turn out for this one-of-a-kind event.
“I hope lots of CSUN students show up,” Junah Runnells said. “It feels cool to be representing the underdog school. I feel as though most music industry studies students can attest to having applied to USC and UCLA, so I hope to show the schools what they have missed out on, in a way.”
Junah, Nick Colton and Nick Moon all have new releases on the horizon, so the exposure in front of their peers, new listeners and industry professionals will be at the top of their minds. For attendees, while a low-cost night of entertainment and the opportunity to win prizes will be present, perhaps the most impactful opportunity lies in showing up for their schools to make their vote count, which will make all the difference for these artists.
As the teams gear up for what is set to be a truly unique night in their collegiate musical careers, May emphasized that he hopes the lasting imprint is what is possible even as a college student, with hard work and collaboration.
“Hopefully it’s setting up the next year’s cohort for VOVE, to show them what’s possible if you really put your mind and effort into something and create something really, really good,” May said.
The Battle of the Bands will take place at the Troubadour at 7 p.m. on April 16. Tickets can be purchased for $25 on the Troubadour’s direct website.
