November has rolled around yet again, and you know what that means. There’s a chill in the air, finals are almost here, and most importantly, there’s a battle on the horizon. ACRN’s Battle of the Bands is back, and we’ve got five great competitors ready to compete for your adoration. The event is live, November 11 at The Union, so make sure you don’t miss it.

Here’s a quick look at what each of the bands is bringing to the table.

First up is Plastic Lemonade, a relatively new, Athens-based outfit. Their vocalist, Nathan Cain, had this to say about the event.

“We’re super pumped for BOTB, I feel like we’re probably the most inexperienced act coming in but we have some really fun stuff planned. Our sound is very broad overall, anyone that’s been following us from the start has been on a wild ride. Our first demo was a jazz song and we’ve since explored everything from punk to indie pop and everything in between. Our set is mostly pulling from our soon to be released debut EP scheduled for early December.”

Our next artist is RJ Martin. He’s competed in previous battles of the bands as a part of other groups, but this time he’s flying solo.

“I’ve played a few BOTBs with my other bands in the past, but ACRN’s yearly affair has always been my favorite to attend, and this year I’m super excited to just to be able to actually perform for it. Anything I can do to give back to the org plus play a show sounds like an amazing time to me. I think my music fits a niche that’s emotive but still fun to listen to, and since I’m one of the only solo performers in the show I think I’ll be bringing that special element of intimacy to the stage.”

In Flow is a three-piece garage rock band that’s been ripping up the local scene.

“We are super stoked to dance and share our music at Battle of the Bands! Picture Steely Dan with a fuzz pedal, that’s In Flow!”

Punch Bowl is an indie garage punk band that was formed during the pandemic. The group features previous BOTB winner Harley Wince.

Finally, we have Salva Bryn, an experimental artist hoping to reach a larger audience.

“I am very thankful to be given the chance to perform for y’all. Very excited to play real loud on the Union PA system. Also, I’m very excited to hopefully get my music out to more people. I think my music is unique because I always switch shit up. Every show is different, I improvise as much as possible and I explore a lot of different genres.”