Four local bands will take the stage in HUB Alumni Hall tonight for Late Night Homecoming's Battle of the Bands.

From 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., Audio Imagery, Cloverleaf, Grenadas Dream and Hamilton will compete in the concert.

Each group will be given a 20-minute set, and the winner will play an additional set to close the show.

Lisa Steinhauer, Homecoming special events captain, said part of the reason for this event was to make bands that play at bars more accessible to students.

"You don't get a chance, if you're not 21, to see bands," she said.

Nicole Stanzione, Homecoming special events overall, added that the diversity of acts would draw a better crowd.

To sign up, bands had to have at least one Penn State student as a member.

For Grenadas Dream, the battle will mark the group's first performance at University Park.

"I think we're really happy to get up here finally," said Derek Salazar (sophomore-business), the group's drummer.

Salazar called the group's sound "straight-up rock," citing groups such as Taking Back Sunday, Glassjaw and My Chemical Romance as some influences of Grenadas Dream.

Audio Imagery is no stranger to the competition format.

For the past two years, the group has won the Battle of the Bands and the prize of a slot playing for Movin' On, a free music festival on HUB lawn in the spring.

However, the group said it approaches this show the same as every other gig.

"I take it on as just being the same thing," Jason Browne (senior-mechanical engineering) said. "We do a lot of crowd participation and interaction."

Audio Imagery is a 10-piece group that plays hip-hop and R&B.

Browne is one of the group's three emcees, along with Malcolm Hurley and George Webster.

Garrett Bogden (freshman-marketing), Cloverleaf's drummer, takes a similar stance on his group's preparation for the show.

"We approach it like we want to play and make new fans," said Bogden, who says the band's music is acoustic/piano rock.

Bogden said he is also looking forward to sharing the bill with the diverse crop of bands, including the local group Audio Imagery.

"It's a really cool style; we've never played with a hip-hop band," he said.

Greg Kester (sophomore-mechanical engineering), Hamilton's lead guitarist, said that because the band will be focusing on originals instead of covers, it will put extra effort into preparing for the battle.

"We approach it a little more seriously in terms of practicing," he said.

Kester said Hamilton plays primarily alternative rock, listing Audioslave, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Weezer as influences, but noted the band also wants to explore other directions.

"Each member of the band has a unique influence," Kester said, citing progressive and classic rock influences being brought into the band's sound.