Staging is their specialty, but at the 2024 Rock Lititz Community Battle of the Bands, the TAIT band rocked on stage and claimed first place.

The band was comprised of Ani Mae Staudt (vocals) Luke Krizner (guitar) Jacob Salinger (bass) Corey Houck (keys) and Justin Turns (percussion). They succeeded in their goal of performing a set that connected with every audience member. Starting off with “The Less I Know the Better” by Tame Impala, followed by “Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac, “Fearless” by Taylor Swift, and “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. They even included a special jam of It Gets Funkier by Vulfpeck while introducing the band and giving some time for Ani to do her quick change and emerge again as their fearless leader. This quick change was smooth during a practice run but coincidentally the day of performance brought some difficulty with a guitar cord stuck in Ani’s cowboy boot and a missing earring. But in the spirit of our industry, the show must go on, and they didn’t let this get in the way of their solid set. Ani Mae brings a new voice to the TAIT group, some of whom competed in previous years.  Krizner and Salinger join the stage together for their second Battle of the Bands but have a long history together as they were in a touring band for 10+ years before both transitioning to work with the team at TAIT. Staudt and Houk also work at TAIT and are both Millersville University Alums, bringing their former classmate Turns to the band. Staudt and Krizner detail how being involved in battle of the bands allowed them to get back into the joys of practicing and performing with a group and expressing themselves musically. There is no certainty if they will perform again next year, but it certainly won’t be a night you want to miss.  

“It was cool seeing other everyday people we are used to working with up on the stage, playing their instruments and performing together.” – Luke Krizner

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