Out of the bands listed on the lineup for the 1994 Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, the country sounds of Crossover may have seemed slightly out of place.

For a Greek scene reared on the sounds of college rock, the twangy guitars and laid-back style of Crossover differed from the power chords of bands such as The Unknown and The Dirges.

But as soon as bassist Pat Naylor announced that the band was "slipping some quarters in the jukebox to do some dancing" and broke into a free-wheeling set, the crowd responded enthusiastically. They side-stepped and danced around with so much energy one could have forgotten the dancers had been moving their feet for more than 20 hours at the time.

"These kids were really getting into it," Naylor said after his set. "This is a happening crowd that was up and about and having a good time. That's what (the dance marathon) is all about."

For the dancers, the live bands were the sparks needed in their engines to keep the foot-motors running. Although a disc jockey spun records during the majority of the marathon, the eight bands with their energetic music and performances provided the needed push between foot massages and line dances.

Jimmy Garcia, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, 524 Locust Lane, who was surveying the horde of dancers, explained his impression of the music.

"I totally think the bands get you going more because they interact with the people more," said Garcia (sophomore-international business/marketing).

For Amy Harpst (senior-food sciences), her second year in the marathon was more enjoyable not only because of the bands but also the volume.

"They've turned down the volume from last year, which was so loud," Harpst said. "The live bands are great because they give you something to look at and react to rather than the DJ who just spins records."

Not everyone agreed that the live music was more danceable. Joe Morreale (sophomore-communications) said he preferred the dance tunes the DJs spun because "when people know the songs and can sing along to them, they won't just stand around."

"It depends on the band a lot too," said Morreale, who liked The Boxing Oscars and The Dirges.

Although the dancers may have shown the ravages of sleep deprivation in their eyes and postures, the beats kept them going.

Marci Lacenere, dance marathon bands coordinator, agreed the bands play an important role in aiding the dancers.

"You usually see a distinct change in the people at the front of the room when the bands come on," Lacenere said. "The people in the front are usually the type of people who want to listen to the bands. The people in the back are usually just floating around."

For the bands, playing at odd hours during the day was to be expected. For the members of Click -- added at the last minute in place of Code Blue -- waking up at 6 a.m. to perform at 8 a.m. was something to be overlooked in the context of the bigger picture.

Drummer Chris Grasso (junior-biology) said the group was hyped to play to such a large audience --a crowd eager to make a connection with his music.

"I was literally bouncing off the walls because I was really hyper and wanted to play," Grasso said. "We usually play at fraternity parties so we played to the crowd that we're used to."