Many will enter, few will win.

For the student musicians who competed in the Student Union Board’s Battle of the Bands Friday night, that mantra could not have been more applicable.

A number of bands duked it out for a chance to play SUB's Rock the Lawn 2012 event, a one-day outdoor concert held in April featuring student performers from all corners of Elon’s campus. But only two bands walked away with guaranteed spots in the Rock the Lawn lineup, which will feature Aer, an up-and-coming reggae duo, as the headlining act.

Freshman Dylan Brock and sophomore James Davies, both members of SUB, coordinated the event. They were responsible for contacting the participating bands, many of which have previously played around campus, particularly at SUBLive events.

“We really want people to come out and check out their local bands because the music scene here at Elon isn’t as prevalent as it could be,” Brock said. “Hopefully, this will help.”

Brock and Davies, along with two other executive board members, decided who will open for Aer at Rock the Lawn 2012. But members of SUB said they wanted the audience to view Battle of the Bands as a concert, not a competition, so the winners were not chosen or notified until the Monday following the event.

Battle of the Bands put a number of musical genres on display, making the decision that much more difficult for the judges.

Sophomore Nick Agrawal and senior Ben Rungsrithong, an acoustic pop-rock duo, kicked off the event. Agrawal said their biggest influences include John Mayer and Matchbox Twenty, which allowed them to perform a variety of songs, ranging from Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” to The Beatles’ “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window.”

Sophomore soloist Lizzy Bassett also showed off a wide range of influences by performing Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning” and Beyonce’s “1+1.”

But freshman Brooke Jenkins, accompanied by junior Kara Johnson on keyboard and sophomore Michael Aneser on drums, decided not to perform a cover in favor of debuting several original songs.

Jenkins, who said she categorizes her music as folk-rock and pop, found out about Battle of the Bands after playing at a previous SUB Open Mic Night.

“My goal is just to play my songs well, and hopefully build my audience a bit more through this performance,” Jenkins said.

Senior Jack Ruley of the metal band Wake Leviathan said he is also trying to build an audience for his band.

“I want people to see our energy,” Ruley said. “We’re a dynamic band with a lot happening.”

According to Ruley, Wake Leviathan’s music is considered “sludge metal,” which combines a mixture of elements from doom, thrash and black metal. Ruley said each band member influences the band’s overall sound, because they all come from different backgrounds.

Junior Lauren Hoerr said she supports musicians who can bring a new sound to Elon’s campus, including Wake Leviathan.

“I think it was really neat that even though their style of music might not be mainstream, it was cool that they were able to play it and express themselves,” Hoerr said.