This past Friday, a diverse crowd of musicians and music lovers gathered at the HUB to listen to and compete in the third annual Battle of the Bands.

By 8 p.m., the HUB had transformed into a music venue, lit dimly by the glow of green and magenta lights and bustling with people, music and chatter.

The competition was held in conjunction with the HUB Crawl and organized by Rainy Dawg Radio and the Student Activities Office (SAO).

“We wanted a gathering place for students in the heart of campus that would have a fun and free event on a weekend night,” SAO advisor Kirk Heynen said, discussing why they continue to sponsor the event.

There were three bands selected by Rainy Dawg Radio to participate in the competition: Dyno Jamz, a jazz-hip-hop fusion band; Championship Belt, a lo-fi punk group and Doctor Doctor, an alt-revivalist band.

Rainy Dawg assistant manager and UW senior Liz Pfriem noted that she and the rest of the radio station’s staff intentionally selected bands with distinct styles. “We didn’t want to have the same sound, because different genres bring a more diverse show,” Pfriem said.

The judges of the battle were Rainy Dawg music director Kyle Hargus, ASUW Bike Shop manager Lauren Boubel and UW concert coordinator Kyle Reardon.

Reardon explained that each band was judged on originality, stage presence, technical skill and audience appreciation, with the winner receiving airtime on Rainy Dawg and a future UW concert performance.

The Battle of the Bands was only one of many attractions at the HUB Crawl, which featured a Rock Band tournament, swing dancing lessons and numerous other diversions. Although much of the audience was constantly drifting to and from other activities, there was one band in particular that held onlookers squarely in front of the stage.

The clear audience favorite and eventual winner of the Battle of the Bands was Dyno Jamz. The band has played at Parnassus Café in addition to frequenting house parties and features an emcee, two trombone players, two trumpet players, a keyboardist, bassist and drummer.

“Nothing that pays much, but it’s all a lot of fun,” Dyno Jamz bassist Nick Simmons said about the competition. “It was cool to see how many people turned out. It’s nice to play at a show like this with a similar demographic, where the people involved are naturally inclined to like us because they’re also UW students. It was a fun crowd.”

Reach reporter Carolyn Yuen at arts@dailyuw.com.