Twelve student bands performing in a time frame of four hours. Sound intense? It was.

The 2006 Penn State Battle of the Bands did not disappoint this year. Out of the 12 bands that participated, three were chosen to perform at this year's Movin' On: The Man, Albert React and Katelyn & Maria.

The event started promptly at 9 p.m. There were two separate stages, A and B, positioned next to each other along the wall of HUB Alumni Hall. There were nearly 200 people in the room when the lights went down and the audience began to clap. The members of Audio Imagery (AI), the first band to perform, jumped up from the audience and got into it.

The moment AI got on stage, fans got to their feet -- most of them didn't return to their seats for the rest of the night.

After AI got the audience involved with their smooth hip-hop and a dance reminiscent of the cha-cha slide, the Monodrops took over.

There were some technical difficulties on Stage B that disrupted the night's schedule, but the problems were soon sorted out. A strumming acoustic guitar began the Monodrops' set, which featured original songs.

Melissa Grindle (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said she really enjoyed the Monodrops performance.

"They were the best so far," she said.

Next up was Grenadas Dream. Its music featured heavy bass and distorted guitar along with the lead singer swinging his microphone occasionally.

The next band, Phantasm, had an interesting mix.

"We're Phantasm, and you must be Penn State," Steven Ross, lead guitarist and vocalist said to the audience. "You all look beautiful."

Along with bass, guitar and drum set, there was a DJ station that spun records to match the changing style of the lead guitarist. Ross said he thought their performance went well.

"I think we had fun today," Ross said. "I like to think we communicate with each other well on stage, and if that goes over to the audience, then we did our job. We really play to amuse ourselves. This is the coolest [Battle of the Bands] I've ever seen."

Following Phantasm was a keyboard-driven band, the Minor White. The group's happy songs followed the chord progressions of the keyboard that went from sounding like an organ to jazzy improvisation and even a toy piano.

Chick Hefele, the lead vocalist and keyboardist for the band Arctic Summer, the next band in the lineup, got the crowd jumping from the start.

"All right," Hefele said. "We've got 20 minutes to rock your socks off."

Arctic Summer energized the audience with its songs, which gave way to head bobbing in the crowd surrounding the stage.

Next was the band Valley Road. With a setup of two guitars, one bass and a drum set, the band had a unique progressive rock sound. The audience got involved through a series of handclaps.

The Reagan Eighties was up next, with its inventive collection of songs and a big enthusiastic crowd surrounding it.

Jameela Truman (junior-human development and family studies), one of two stage managers for the event, said she really enjoyed the evening.

"It's really awesome," Truman said. "We need more shows like this on campus. Minor White was very good and so was the Reagan Eighties, and Valley Road brought a very good crowd."

The band Jimi Jive was next and let the audience know the members "encourage dancing." Their set included a steady groove from the guitar along with interesting synthesizer sounds in the background.

Katelyn & Maria took the stage next. These girls definitely sent out a Bohemian vibe with their folksy music. Their stage was laden with conga drums, maracas, an acoustic guitar and electric bass.

Mike O'Neill, a student from Neumann College in Philadelphia, said he was visiting friends at Penn State and decided to come see the event.

"I was expecting a battle," O'neill said. "You know, swords and combat, and I got a show instead. It's pretty cool, though."

Next was The Man, who delighted the audiences' eyes as much as their ears. Some of the members' outfits included a blue jumpsuit, leopard pants, frilly collared shirts for the guys and a Boy Scout outfit for the sole girl. They had a psychedelic '70s funk that included a trumpet and an alto saxophone for most of their songs.

By the time the final band of the night, Albert React, hit the stage, the crowd in the hall had diminished some, but the fans surrounding the stage were still going strong. The band's dramatic alternative rock sound kept the audience's attention until the last song.

After all the bands had put up a fight, the three winners were announced, met by a mixed reaction from the crowd and performers. The Man, Katelyn & Maria and Albert React will get to showcase their tunes again at Movin' On on April 22.