Responsible for showing the world The Globes, Brite Futures, The Lonely Forest, and many other KEXP favorites, EMP’s Sound Off! competition is a must know – especially if you live in the PNW. Now in its eleventh year, Sound Off! is an underage “battle of the bands” of sorts. Selecting some of the most promising music from the 21 and younger crowd from the PNW, 12 bands are judged on a set of live music at Seattle’s EMP. The 12 bands are split into three semi-final rounds where they compete for the finals. Each winner from the rounds and a wild-card band make up the finals set to take place on March third.
While only four bands compete in the finals, the semi-final rounds are not to be missed. This year is no exception. The three semi-final rounds happen February 11, 18, and 25. There’s at least one band for everyone at each round. Plus, wouldn’t it be cool to say you saw Seattle’s next big band at its incubation stage?
Read more about the bands and listen to their stuff here. Also, Tomten, who is the artist of our song of the day today, won the entire competition last year.
The finals are set to take place on March 3.
Other KEXP notables to have played Sound Off! are as follows:
Man Down Medic (an early instance of Hey Marseilles)
