When "new wave" flourished in America, people began to claim that guitar rock was a dying breed. It was nowhere on the charts and supposedly the technology of synthesizers would rule the rock world.

This theory fell flat on its face with a resurgence of the guitar-driven rock. Hard rock lashed back fiercely. Bands such as Motley Crue, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi seized control of the charts and have refused to relinquish their domination.

Their styles have proved to be successful and have obviously earned a place on the radio.

At this year's Dance Marathon, Split Decision will be providing the dancers with a dose of these heavy sounds. The band features music lifted from such artists as Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica along with other hard hitters.

Split Decision's singer / guitarist Jason Ebsworth said that there is plenty of competition in State College, but he said his band is playing a different selection.

"We're definitely the hardest band that plays the bars regularly," Ebsworth said.

Although Split Decision rocks hard, Ebsworth doesn't classify the band as a heavy metal group.

"We're basically hard rock with a bite on the cutting edge. We try to do songs that aren't often played. We play old songs that are fresh for State College," Ebsworth said.

The band tries to "jar the audience's memory" and memories have probably been jarred simply by the changes in the membership of Split Decision. The band's name dates back two years, but its members have been changing ever since. Split Decision's current lineup of Ebsworth, guitarist Lenny Kucinski, drummer Mike Montgomery and bassist Rob Thear have been together since September.

The band is a staple at the Rathskeller where they play Tuesday nights. Skeller manager Pam Young said Split Decision has been play the weekly slot for more than a year and does a good job of bring in a crowd, especially for Tuesday nights.

"They play a lot of fun stuff and have a lot of audience participation," Young said.