Third Annual Antstock

What’s better than a night of music, games and food? Music by your own talented Anteaters, an endless amount of free games and tasty food with friends at this year’s third annual Antstock Music Festival and Awards, hosted by the UC Irvine Bookstore in partnership with ASUCI. As the big night approaches on Wednesday, Nov. 19, students should get ready for an entirely new look.
Although the web-based competition will remain the same, a new live component will be added. Additionally, the festival environment, which has never been done before, will provide students with food, prizes, games like Guitar Hero and a fun, relaxing environment where students can enjoy the music and each other’s company.
For the last two years, the bookstore has hosted a music competition based entirely on the Internet. Interested bands who wish to participate submit their music online that must fit the following criteria: one member of each band must be a current UCI student and all songs submitted must be an original work written and recorded by participants.
Once music is submitted, participants compete for five web awards: Web Audience Award, Song of the Year, Most Original, Best Vocals and Best Instrumentation. The Web Audience Award is based on popularity and all UCI students are free to vote for their favorite band. The other awards, however, are judged by faculty members, music majors and the creator of Antstock, Andrew Capra. The opportunity to have experienced judges provides legitimate, fair and sometimes unexpected results.
This year, the music styles of the various bands are more diverse than ever. Songs all across the board, from hip-hop to rock to singer-songwriter, have truly shown how much talent exists at UCI. The high level of musicality has set a very high standard for this year’s Antstock. “Students will be pleasantly surprised,” said Ambrose Yu, marketing director for the UCI Bookstore.
Although the web competition remains the same, ASUCI and the UCI Bookstore have decided to create a new live component, where bands will compete for the “Best Live Performance” award. The last two years had bands performing, but not competing. “We think this will really bring a different vibe. There will be more excitement, adrenaline and student support,” said Janet Lee, ASUCI films commissioner and the UCI Bookstore marketing coordinator.
The live competition has also eliminated the Battle of the Bands. “We found most of the bands competing in Antstock were the same ones coming out for Battle of the Bands,” Yu said. The combination of the two elements will hopefully bring about a larger support group and make the event more cohesive.
Also, partnering with ASUCI for first time allowed for opportunities to improve the festival, playing a role through student networking and word of mouth.
With talented bands, experienced judges and a wide variety of activities, students will definitely be entertained. Not only have ASUCI and the UCI Bookstore joined forces, but they’ve done so to cater to UCI’s own Anteaters. With more students and greater support, the third annual Antstock Music Festival and Awards is ready to step up and deliver at the Student Center this Wednesday at 7 p.m.