California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State) will be having their annual welcome event, StanFest, at the Stan State Fitzpatick Arena on Saturday, Sep 19.
This year, local band What Eats Hydra will be the opening music performance, followed by Secondhand Serenade and 3OH!3.  
What Eats Hydra hails from Oakdale and includes band members Josh Lownsbery (guitar and vocals), Austin High (drums) and Garrett Smart (bass and backup vocals).
This is What Eats Hydra’s biggest venue to date and the first time that the band will play at Stan State. The band typically performs at house parties and small venues, but have also played for KCSS Bandstand at the Grizzly Rock Café and multiple KCSS Open Mic Nights.
“Apart from the obvious excitement of getting to open up for 3OH!3 and Secondhand Serenade, we’re excited to play for a new audience, many of whom may not otherwise be exposed to our music,” Lownsbery said.
Associated Students Inc. (ASI) was interested in having a local band open the event, so they contacted KCSS. KCSS provided a list of local musicians to ASI and What Eats Hydra was chosen.
“We feel incredibly fortunate,” the band said.
What Eats Hydra is a pop-punk band with foundations of post-hardcore and progressive rock. Their music is similar to bands like Coheed and Cambria, The Fall of Troy, Fall Out Boy and Dance Gavin Dance.
Lownsbery and High have been playing together in various bands since junior high school.
The band began playing original songs written by Lownsbery. Years later, in January 2015, the band got together and What Eats Hydra was born.
“Despite not having played together in years, it was immediately clear that we were able to read each other well when playing, which has made songwriting for this band a very natural and organic process,” Lownsbery said.
The band name originated from an essay by Richard Dawkins titled “The Joy of Living Dangerously.”  It is an anecdote in regards to Dawkins’ time as a student. Dawkins’ professor would walk around the room asking every student what animal eats hydra, becoming more and more boisterous.
“The point of the anecdote is to portray a different approach for teaching science than the traditional lecture model, but what really gripped us was the absurdity of the visual of an old man running around yelling, ‘WHAT ANIMAL EATS HYDRA?!’ As a band, we have a healthy appreciation of the absurd,” the band said.
What Eats Hydra awaits StanFest with excitement.
“Expect to see a blend of bitter music played by ecstatic musicians. Music is our lifeblood, and that’s readily apparent when we are on stage,” the band said.
You can also catch What Eats Hydra at the Queen Bean in Modesto on Oct 23.
Their music is available to download for free at whateatshydra.bandcamp.com and facebook.com/whateatshydra.