SOUND OFF! Round 3

Last Saturday was the 3rd round of EMP's Sound Off! Battle of the Underage Bands. For my second time volunteering for the event my role was to give away cool Sound Off! buttons, informational handouts, and persuade people to head upstairs to sign up for The Sound Board. (Which anyone reading this should certainly do, because its free and its success is directly related to the success of EMP programs.) The Sound Board is devoted to the northwest's all ages music and arts scene. It serves as a kind of forum for all ages to discuss the younger Seattle music scene. It is a useful way to give and receive information about music and arts from all ages in the pacific northwest.
I daresay that I enjoyed this week of Sound Off even more than the first. The lineup was filled with young talent and the audience had grown substantially since the first Saturday of the event. The music started with SEACATS, a fun punky band ages 14 - 19. Their sound really caused people to move and their between-song-banter was adorable. The tiny, 14 year old, bass player even took a moment to address the audience with a very serious statement:

"Can I tell you guys something really personal right now? I have been having this reoccurring nightmare where my amp is taller than I am." (He turns behind him to look at the amp, which coincidentally IS taller than he is.) "Oh God I think its really happening."

Then there was Subtle Like a T-Rex, which despite the clever name, brought back war flashbacks of my x-boyfriend dragging me to multiple Perpetual Groove shows in various locations around NC. I am not a fan.

Then like a bright and shining star from out of nowhere came Great Waves. 4 guys and 1 girl ages 19 - 20 who were stunning musicians. In addition to the typical instruments that are included in most of the bands, one member also played a violin and a mandolin. The lead singer, Ashley, channeled vocals the likes of The Sundays, The Cranberries, Sinead O'Connor, and Sia. I kept starring at her, convinced that at some point she would reveal herself as someone who was actually closer to age 50 than 19. Her voice was soulful, knowledgeable, and mysterious and far outshone all others. They announced to the audience that they had been playing together as a band since they were in the 8th grade. And it showed. The sound was crisp and polished and while listening I was at a loss for words. I just kept saying to the volunteer next to me, "My God, this is beautiful." Beautiful. Not a word that I use often, but it certainly applied in this case.

The final band was a Seattle local called Us on Roofs and certainly a crowd favorite. The lead singer, though very attractive, reminded me a lot of Death Cab For Cutie, even in his flat footed dance moves. Music, lyrics, and even the dedications were emo beyond words. The crowd certainly loved them but I accredit that to the fact that they were local.

In the end Great Waves arose as victorious with SEACATS winning the wild card and the opportunity to compete in the finals. Saturday the entire competition will wrap up with a battle between Candysound (1st round winners), Hooves and Beak (round 2), Great Waves (round 3), and SEACATS (wild card winners). Of these, my love and support goes to Great Waves. Though I have not heard Hooves and Beak I am just not seeing how anyone could steal my affection from Great Waves at this point. They generously passed out some burned cd's with 5 of their songs on them. I have been listening to them all week.

Click on any of the Great Waves links to hear/download their music for free.

SOUND OFF! Battle of the Underage Bands

The Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum is in the midst of it's 9th year of Sound Off! a competition between underage bands. Applicants to Sound Off! must all be 21 years of age or younger and from the Pacific Northwest. This competition gives young emerging music artists the opportunity to have their music heard by professionals in the area while they are still too young to play in local bars and venues that serve alcohol. In the past, finalists and semi finalists have included bands like, Dyme Def, The Lonely Forest, and Natalie Portman's Shaved Head (whom I adore). The winners of it all receive a performance at this year's Bumbershoot Festival and various other prizes.

The night that I volunteered, Semifinals Round 1, the lineup was Sea Fever, Apache Chief, (Sui-Generis), and Candysound. Of these, my favorite was Apache Chief who were described as;

"Influenced by garage rock, post hardcore and noise, Apache Chief is already known in their hometown of Tacoma for raucous gigs and unorthodox use of guitar pickups and reverb tanks. Seeped in the dirty lo-fi of The Stooges, this trio brutally rips through sets at top speed leaving the audience decimated and wanting more."

Or as their MySpace page says: Post-Progessive Banana Slam

These three kids from Tacoma were awesome. They had quite a fan base in the audience, some of which sported Apache Chief t-shirts. During the performance there was a couple of mini mosh pits that left the EMP security a little baffled. Despite they audience support and my love they did not emerge victorious. The winners of the first round who receive the opportunity to compete in the finals were the wonderful Candysound. A duo that I thought had kind of a Vampire Weekend sound. The wild card winners who receive the possibility of maybe competing in the finals were Sea Fever. Also wonderful.
Friends Kristen, Claire, and I stood around wondering; "What if we had had something like this in our hometowns?" But really it seems as though such an event may only work in a place like Seattle. Home to Hendrix, Pearl Jam, and so many other greats. And what a wonderful gift to offer younger music artists: opportunity. Even semifinalists remain on the Experience Music Project Sound Off archive list which offers them some level of notoriety.
The most wonderful part of the whole event is the infectious optimism of the kids. Post performance/pre - 'announcement of the winners' an Apache Chief member was talking to us and hearing our praises of his performance and his whole demeanor just lit up right in front of us. He was hurrying to get back to the stage but out of excitement turned to us with his arms in the air and exclaimed, "I'm just so happy!"
I will be at Semifinals Round 3 this Saturday and hopefully the March 6th Finals event. I cannot wait to find out who wins!