The Sound Off! Finals took place on Saturday, March 1, and drew a crowd of over 750 people to EMP's Sky Church.  This is the Northwest's largest under-age battle of the bands and while over 80 bands submitted their demos, just 12 were chosen to compete in the Semi-Final rounds, and only 3 bands made it to the Finals. 

The Nextdoor Neighbors started off the night with their unique blend of danceable beats and arresting vocals.  Band-mates Jessie Hill and Kathy Coté call it electro-folk-hop, but no matter what you call it - this is deeply felt, thought-provoking music created by wildly imaginative souls. 

New Faces were up next and the indie-pop trio from Port Townsend took the stage with a confidence that belies their age.  They rocked through their 40 minute set like a freight train that lost it's brakes.  At one point Nico Janssen managed to yank the cord out of his guitar amp, but band-mates Conor Sisk and Kyle Hove just smiled and turned up the juice until he plugged back in.  It was pretty obvious that these guys just flat out love what they do and so did the crowd of screaming fans.  Someone even brought in an "I Love Conor" sign.  Awesome. 

Man Down Medic was up next and they capped the evening off with their beautifully composed songs.  These folks are not afraid to tackle difficult arrangements and their musicianship is simply amazing.  It was easy to forget that all of the musicians playing in Sound Off! are 21 and under.  It makes one wonder what they're going to accomplish by the time they're 25!

The judges must have had a torturous time choosing their favorite, but in the end it was New Faces that took first place.  The Nextdoor Neighbors came in second and Man Down Medic took third.  All of the bands will receive a great collection of prizes including new instruments and recording time at local studios, but it will be New Faces who will represent Sound Off! at this year's Bumbershoot Festival.  New Faces will also be featured on Audioasis, KEXP's long-running live music show.

There was a great camaraderie amongst all of the bands and I overheard lots of talk about various bands teaming up to play gigs together in the upcoming months.  Stay tuned for that – this is the next generation of great music and you don't want to miss it.

"CW11's Underground" would like to thank Janine Logsdon and Maggie Skinner of EMP/SFM for all their help in making our Sound Off! series possible.  And a huge thank you to all of the bands for letting us drop into your lives for a bit.  Stay tuned to www.kstw.com/underground as we bring you new stories on the Northwest's best and brightest stars.