Drums bang and guitars blare once a band takes the stage for the battle of the bands. On Monday, January 12, the battle of the bands took place in Latrobe’s Auditorium and did not disappoint.
Eleven bands competed to bring home the win and gain financial compensation, along with bragging rights. Each band performed three songs for the audience and three judges in hopes of winning.
“The Rock Ensemble class puts on the Battle of the Bands. Eight of the 11 bands that performed are from the class. The classes have been preparing for the Battle of Bands since the beginning of the school year. They have three performances in class during the semester, and everything culminates with the public performance,’’ shares Mr. Czekaj teacher of the rock ensemble class and director of the event.
Lead singer of Graven Idols, Camron Forbes, shared his aspirations before the night began. “The goal is to go out there and just sing well and hopefully win, because if we win, we’re going to put that money into our band and improve on setup and everything.”
For many performers, the competition is the first time playing for a live audience.” I’m a little nervous, but I’m more excited to finally be able to sing, cause we are going to sing an original song that we made called Ever Onward,” said Cam.
All of the bands put in countless hours of hard work to prepare for their performance. Each band practiced all year rigorously to get ready to play to their best potential in their final production.
“We have been having weekly band practices, but in the past week, we have had more practices. But I think we’re turning out pretty well. Our practices normally range between an hour and thirty minutes to two hours,” said Forbes.
All of the bands are unique with different skills and talents, but they all share the love and passion for music and performing. Many bands have come together from common interests and taste in music. Cam Forbes started his band in a similar way, sharing a love for metal.”They all love metal, and I love metal, so we found a common, common ground in our music. So I was definitely excited because I always wanted this.”
The winners of the battle will get the chance to play at this year’s Rockdown on February 21, 2026. The rockdown is a big event and a great chance for exposure to play for a larger audience.
After each band competed, the votes were tallied, and the winner was announced. The 2026 Battle of the Bands winner was the band Touchdown and a Handshake. Group members include Ben Ament, Nick Taylor, and Eli McKeever, Patrick Kenna and Jack Lynch.
“We went into it with no expectations, not knowing what was going to happen if we were going to win or not. So when we finally heard our names announced, it was relieving to hear that we won. And it was a big deal for us because we got a lot of opportunities after as well,” shared lead singer Ben Ament.
The winners were provided opportunities following their success as well as the winnings. “We got information for a music producer after the show. We also talked to the people who recorded with West Media about potentially having them come to one of our gigs and record stuff for us. And a lot of businesses that were looking at us gave us more serious programs, and opportunities for over the summer,” shared Ament.
Touchdown and a Handshake had the crowd feeling electric. They were very engaging and provided a great performance for the crowd to connect with. “My favorite song we played was Carry On Wayward Son, because we got the crowd involved the most, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it,” said Ament.
January 12, 2026 – 5:30PM
GLSHS AUDITORIUM
FEATURING
Graven Idols
Not My Tempo
St. Anger Snare
Jimmys
Cement Mixers
Severance
Death Row
Hash Slinging Slashers
Four Guys and Louis
Rubber Chicken Revolution
Oven Baked Muskrat
Touchdown and a Handshake
GRAVEN IDOLS
FEATURING
ZACH CHERNOSKY
CAMERON FORBES
LEVI HULL
DAMIEN SCIULLI
CARRY ON
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
KICKSTART MY HEART
MOTLEY CRUE
AFTERLIFE
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
EVER ONWARD
GRAVEN IDOLS
Not My Tempo
FEATURING
JACK DUDA
NATE MANGES
SYDNEY MELLINGER
ROBBIE PHILLIPS
JOSHUA STERRETT
RAY SWIDERSKI
GIANNA TRUNZO
505
ARCTIC MONKEYS
SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW
KEANE
KARMA POLICE
RADIOHEAD
St. Anger Snare
FEATURING
FRANK HANDWORK
CAMERON HOLNAIDER
TRISTEN KNIGHT
JACK MENHORN
ELIZA MERENDA
BROOKS SAXTON
SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT
NIRVANA
SYMPHONY OF DESTRUCTION
MEGADETH
FADE TO BLACK
METALLICA
Jimmys
FEATURING
BEN AMENT
ELI McKEEVER
OWEN SARSFIELD
NICK TAYLOR
ATLANTIC CITY
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
YELLOW LEDBETTER
PEARL JAM
PURPLE RAIN
PRINCE
CEMENT MIXERS
FEATURING
CHASE SCHELLER
DEREK SCHELLER
LEVI HULL
JOEY HUSSAK
KALEA SMOLA
JASMINE FELT
WHAT’S NEW, SCOOBY DOO?
SIMPLE PLAN
PARANOID
BLACK SABBATH
LONELY DAY
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
THE MIDDLE
JIMMY EAT WORLD
SEVERANCE
FEATURING
LOUIS CICERO
HANK HOGG
GAVIN McCLAIN
JACK MENHORN
BROOKS SAXTON
BLACK MAGIC
SLAYER
DAMAGE INC.
METALLICA
BIRDS
TURNSTILE
HONEY BUCKET
MELVINS
DEATH ROW
FEATURING
MARK BERNOT
GARREN BROADWATER
BRYCE LEACHMAN
VOICES IN MY HEAD
RARE AMERICANS
REMEMBER EVERYTHING
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
Hash Slinging Slashes
FEATURING
SIERRA LYONS
XANDER PRY
CAYDEN RINE
SAGE SLAYTON
SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?
THE CLASH
ZOMBIE
THE CRANBERRIES
YOU’RE GONNA GO FAR, KID
THE OFFSPRING
Four Guys and Louis
FEATURING
ZACH CHERNOSKY
OWEN WALESKI
MICHAEL MLAY
KILLIAN CRAVENER
LOUIS CICERO
BRAIN STEW
GREEN DAY
SAY IT AIN’T SO
WEEZER
SEMI-CHARMED LIFE
THIRD EYE BLIND
Rubber Chicken Revolution
FEATURING
ALEX ALTMAN
CHASE MEARS
AMOS McCONAHEY
ROWEN WATSON
PAIN
THREE DAYS GRACE
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
FALLOUT BOY
Oven Baked Muskrat
FEATURING
ZACHARY CHERNOSKY
LEVI HULL
SYDNEY MELLINGER
GABE TULLY
MAX WINTERS
VOICES IN MY HEAD
RARE AMERICANS
REMEMBER EVERYTHING
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
Touchdown and a Handshake
FEATURING
BEN “SVEN” AMENT- VOCALS
PATRICK “PATRICE” KENNA – GUITAR
JACK “GIG” LYNCH – DRUMS
ELI “BUBBY” McKEEVER- BASS/KEYS
NICK “NICKEY MOUSE” TAYLOR- LEAD GUITAR
CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON
KANSAS
BEAT IT
MICHAEL JACKSON
HOTEL CALIFORNIA
THE EAGLES
