The Northwest's Premier 21 and Under Battle of the Bands
Congratulations to Nude, Sound Off! 2012 Winner!
2nd place: The Deep Wake 3rd place: Feet 4th place: Special Explosion
Now in its 11th year, Sound Off! supports the local music scene by giving artists from different backgrounds an opportunity to showcase their work, connect with the larger artistic community, and perform live at the top venue in the region.
EMP's Sound Off! has paved the way for some of today's freshest talent, including The Lonely Forest, Dyme Def, The Globes, New Faces, The Lonely H, Sol, Schoolyard Heroes, and Brite Futures (formerly Natalie Portman's Shaved Head).
Saturday, February 11: Semifinals #1
1st Place and Audience Response Award: The Deep Wake
Helmed by singer songwriters Adam Foley and Laura Jean Anderson, The Deep Wake carries on the tradition of Pacific Northwest folk, sliding in comfortably with artists like The Moondoggies and Fleet Foxes. With the use of acoustic guitar, fiddle, banjo and densely sweet harmonies, The Deep Wake leads the listener through a deeply personal and soulful musical landscape.
This East Coast West Coast singer songwriter marries hip hop to sultry, slightly nostalgic jazz combined with poetic lyrics that combine the romantic mysticism of Cat Stevens with the funk of Andre 3000. Lachow eschews synthesizers, drum kit to go au naturel with a mad mix of vocal and instrumental talents.
Packed with surf rock undertones and old school punk, garage rock trio Dungeon Science picks up right where fellow Tacomans The Sonics left off. Geographically speaking, Tacoma is Seattle's basement, and these raucous boys and girl dish out a tantalizing mess of lo-fi blues that quickly proves that the most exciting and dirtiest noise always comes from the dungeon.
Scintillating Seattle trio The Unibroz manufacture an animated brand of fervent and brazen electro-hip hop, calling to mind a mix of Daft Punk and Licensed to Ill-era Beastie Boys. With witty lyrics, an ebullient and exhilarated energy firmly rooted in some of the best funk, electronic, and hip hop around, this is a group that is ready to bring a party of sass wherever they go.
Spokane band Nude weave a dreamy tapestry of soaring guitars, ethereal vocals, and brick-n-mortar drums and bass lines that suggest the influences of Battles, Interpol and even Radiohead. Within their transformative and invigorating mass of swirling sound, this quartet enfolds the listener in a profoundly intimate experience. In an oversaturated musical market, Nude finds a way to make genuinely evocative music. We dare you not to feel anything.
With a voice so powerful it could make mountains crumble, Seattle songstress Honora Hildreth constructs reflective and haunting numbers that seem as suited to an underground jazz club in New York City as they do to your best friend's living room. This young folk singer has the writing chops of Regina Spektor combined with the raw vocal prowess of Etta James, and is already well on her way to charming hearts across the Northwest.
You'll probably never see them on sale at Whole Foods, but there's no better example of locally produced organic hip-hop than that created by the two emcees of Brothers From Another. With gently hypnotic beats, this double dynamo isn't afraid to let their hometown spirit fly with rhythms and flows that drip with all that is good in the 2-0-6, and they're doing it with the ease of seasoned pros as old as the bricks on Capitol Hill. Already making waves up and down the coast, Brothers From Another show you the sunny side of Seattle.
At times reminiscent of early Death Cab for Cutie, this Spokane band design dreamy and dissonant shoegaze modeled after bands like My Bloody Valentine and Deerhunter. Their artful instrumentation and haunting vocals create a partition of sound, at once unsettling, deft, and deceptively simple.
A wealth of unconventional song structure and jazz influences, this Seattle quartet blends twangy acoustic guitar, raw vocals and poetic lyrics with utterly danceable tunes and create a sound that is quintessentially Northwest. With songs like "Lucky Charms" and "Couch Surf Nation", members of Feet demonstrate that their striding into the spotlight is no accident.
For a group that's only been together for a year, Special Explosion has already garnered gobs of critical praise. Recently profiled by The Seattle Times, this Bellevue 5-piece has been covered by The Stranger on more than one occasion, comparing them to highly revered bands like Built to Spill and The Thermals. Their quirky boy-girl vocals, fuzzy guitars, and Moog-inflected self-conscious music offer a welcome throwback to Dinosaur Jr-era indie rock.
It's almost impossible not to sway and bop to the harmonies and infectious barbershop teen idol doo-wop schmaltz of Cassiopeia. This Bellingham quartet has built a baroque laden bridge between Beirut and Buddy Holly, concocting playful and bittersweet songs bursting with love and yearning.
Taking their cue from the likes of Big Star, Superchunk, and early Weezer, Your Rival are powerpop heroes, armed with infectious melodies, shimmery guitar, and riff encrusted hooks that give their super-charged hits extra pizzazz. The Mercury, in the trio's hometown of Portland, hailed their new EP as "one of the most immediately likable local releases in recent memory." Listen to "Can't Fool Me! (BaBaBa)" or "Wing Commander" just once and this band will play on repeat in your head for weeks.
Tickets are $12 for the general public, $8 for students or EMP Museum members.
Prizes
First place: Performance at Bumbershoot 2012, Live on-air performance on 107.7 The End's Locals Only, KORG gear, 1,000 Custom Guitar Picks from Dunlop, Dunlop Effects Pedal, Fender guitar, 2 days studio time at Orbit Audio, music industry consultation, and much more!
Second place: Performance at Northwest Folklife Festival 2012, KORG gear, Dunlop Effects Pedal, Fender guitar, 2 days studio time at London Bridge Studio, studio time, music industry consultation and much more!
Third place: KORG gear, Dunlop Effects Pedal, Fender guitar, 2 days studio time at The Vera Project, music industry consultation and much more!
Fourth place: KORG gear, Dunlop Effects Pedal, Fender guitar, 2 days studio time at The Old Firehouse Teen Center, music industry consultation and much more!
And new this year, Catapult Music Festival will select a band from all 12 semifinalists to open for The Lonely Forest at the Catapult kick-off show in June.
Competition prizes subject to change. Additional prizes to be announced.
Video
Find out more about Sound Off! and its impact on the Northwest music community from alumni bands, judges, and program organizers.
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SPONSORS
Sound Off! 2012 is sponsored by 107.7 The End, Scion, KORG, Dunlop, Fender, The Stranger, Bumbershoot, Talking Rain, City Arts, Catapult Music Festival, Northwest Folklife, Orbit Audio, London Bridge Studio, The Vera Project and Old Firehouse Teen Center.
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