The EMP has been hosting the Sound Off! Competition since 2001. The Northwest-21-and-Under battle of the bands boasts competitors from Vancouver, to Portland. I went to the semi-finals hosted on February 20th in the EMP’s Sky Church. The place was hoppin’ filled with local hipsters of various ages, parents coming to watch their kids play, and of course very loyal fan bases made of friends.
First on the stage was Honcho Poncho. Honcho Poncho is a folk and Americana band from Seattle, Washington. Consisting of a bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, drummer and fiddler, they jammed out in front of a green screen projecting various image of nature. They started off with a slower song, heavy on the fiddle, with vocals a tad out of range. I was filled with apprehension at the already bored faces of my friends, praying I had picked the right night to come out. However, by the time they played their strongest song “Take Me Down,” the crowd was dancing as much as one does to folk music. “Take Me Down,” has dual vocals from lead singer Sam Gelband and the female fiddler player (by far my favorite band member). It had a beautiful piano melody, with a low bass and heavy country snare in the background. It’s actually stuck in my head right now.
Next up was Charlie and the Rays, an all girl trio from Seattle. My personal favorite band, Charlie and the Rays had an excellent stage presence that only three super hot blonde girls could provide. They had a sound that sort of combined blues, rock-n-roll, and folk, with an old-fashioned Neil Young-Elvis-y kind of sound. The lead singer switched instruments 3 times from an acoustic bass, to guitar, to harmonica. The girls stood in a straight line and took turns with lead vocals from person to person. Overall I’d say this band had the most talented members, all holding their own in a very clear sound-system ready to pick up any mistake and without a drummer to set a clear beat. Their final song “Finisterre” was the best example of their blues sounds with the deep vocals, and multiple guitar solos. Some of the songs were a little repetitive and didn’t have very original lyrics, which may have led to their loss.
Third to hit the stage was The Naked Giants, a punk rock band from Mercer Island. They had a “my dad just installed sound-proofing in the garage” quality. Their lead guitarist, a guy around my age, stomped around the stage, slid on his knees, and deep-throated the microphone at one point. Their songs didn’t differ much and it was hard to hear the lyrics with The White-Stripes reverb and Arctic Monkeys’ vocal filter, but the songs were definitely something to dance to, especially “Searching For You,” one of the songs that had more musical notes than mic feedback.
Last but (according to the audience) not least, was Hemlock Lane from Eugene, Oregon. Not to be confused with the weird Netflix original show “Hemlock Grove” (A mistake I made). Hemlock Lane, also a rock band, had a more alternative sound than The Naked Giants. Their electro keyboard in the background, along with the strong bass line was reminiscent of The Killers and their lead vocalist’s voice resembled that of Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend. The band had some great original songs, my personal favorite being “Last Night On Earth.” Their lyrics were original, and the combined sound was great. Their musical talent and pretty good-looking guitarist lead to immense crowd support. They won the audience popularity portion of the contest (gauged by clapping).
The Naked Giants was announced the winner by a hodge-podge collection of judges from various Seattle producing companies and musical sponsors. It wasn’t a surprising outcome. With their beyond-their-years rock spirit, and talent in getting the crowd head banging, they were an undeniably talented band. However, I couldn’t help but mourn for the blues and folk that Charlie and the Ray’s had played. The Naked Giants will move on to the March 7th finals, facing the other 2 semi-final winners the wildcard which will be picked from the audience favorite bands.
Check out the EMP Sky Church on March 7th at 7:00 PM to see who wins!
Quinn Ferrar // KXSU Staff Writer