Student, faculty, and alumni bands, get ready to battle this April! This year’s annual PAT fundraising weekend, Prep Fest, will include an event familiar to some Prep faculty and graduates but new to current Prep students – the Battle of the Bands.

Started in the mid-1980’s as a fundraiser, the Battle of the Bands showcased Prep student musicians and bands including Paul Case, High Voltage, the Trade, Crosstown Traffic, James Dean, and Illusion. Over the years, bands performed in the “old gym,” now the McRae Center, and on a flatbed trailer in the Prep parking lot.

The 2019 Battle of the Bands will take place Saturday, April 13 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. during the Prep Fest Revolutionary Fair. Revolutionary Fair chairperson Ms. Holly McMullan is hoping to have a variety of bands participate in the event. Student, faculty and staff, alumni, and parent bands are all encouraged to register.  

Ms. McMullan said, “We would love to have student participation! As alums, we have great memories of Revolutionary Fair and the Battle of the Bands. We would love to have current students have fun with it, too!”

One parent and alumni band is already registered for the event. Illusion, a band made up of Prep parent, Mart McMullan (the husband of Ms. McMullan), Clay Schultz (Prep class of 1990), and Jonathan Barrett will perform at this year’s Battle. Filling in for original Illusion band member Trey McGriff will be Alex Guidry (Prep class of 1990). Guidry is a former member of the band Crosstown Traffic which played in the 1988 Battle of the Bands.

Illusion performed at the 1987 Battle of the Bands.  Mart McMullan, the lead singer of Illusion, says the band plans to get together at the first of the year to “jam” in preparation for their performance.

When asked how his children feel about his participation in the Battle of the Bands, he said, “They’re really excited! They’ve heard me talk forever about my days of singing in a band, so they can’t wait to hear us play!”

Other alumni bands Ms. McMullan would like to see participate include the Trade, Southgate, and Square Root of Now.

Ms. McMullan says that the length of each band’s performance will depend of the number of bands that enter. Each band should prepare 4 to 5 songs with the understanding that their set might be longer.

Interested bands can enter the event by completing the registration form found at jacksonprep.org/prepfest. There is a $25 registration fee, and the deadline to register is February 1, 2019.  

Tickets to attend the Revolutionary Fair and Battle of the Bands cost $5 per person and will be available in March. For more information on the event, contact Holly McMullan at [email protected].

One-hundred percent of the proceeds from the PAT’s Prep Fest weekend go to fulfill teacher wish lists, make classroom enhancements, and fund Prep’s teacher endowment.

The 2019 Battle of the Bands will be one to remember!