By Bessie King

On Saturday night, the battle has been fought with rock and a new champion has emerged.

Cassavettes, a four-person rock band, won the second annual Battle of the Bands at afterHOURS on Saturday night.

“It was really surprising,” said the band’s only Northeastern student, Glenn Yoder, a middler journalism major and managing editor of The Northeastern News. “I mean, we’re friends with a lot of the bands that were in there and we know there is a lot of good talent out there so I can almost attribute the victory to the crowd’s response. It made it a little more special and we are very thankful for that.”

The event was hosted by the Council for University Programs (CUP), the Music Entertainment Industry Student Association (MEISA) and WRBB, the campus radio station. As winners, the band members received a year’s subscription to www.Sonicbids.com, a Web site that helps bands promote and submit press kits on-line to promoters, agents, managers, publicists and others, as well as passes to the annual three day NEMO Music Festival in September.

Performing Saturday night was tiring to Cassavettes, who had played in New York the night before and didn’t get back into Boston until sometime between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. said Yoder, who plays guitar and keyboard for the band in addition to singing.

“As far as the victory goes, the crowd’s energy was essential to awakening us … so we are very, very grateful for that,” he said.

When Cassavettes took the stage third after the all-girl metal band metal band Jaded, Yoder said although he and his bandmates had forgotten their leather pants at home that night, they would try to put on a great show.

People began clapping to the beats of the band’s first song, and soon the audience was dancing. With the last song, “It’s Gonna Be Alright,” yells and claps filled the room.

The event had four finalist bands and a wild card band that were chosen over a two-night elimination period.

“We had a great time those two nights