Congratulations go out to New Faces—they're the first band to make it to this year's Sound Off! finals being held March 1 at EMP's Sky Church. The Port Townsend pop trio beat out The Dead Are Judged, SouthGate, and the Batteries at the February 9 show, and now the band are one step closer to claiming the coveted prize package that includes an on-air performance on KEXP and a slot at this year's Bumbershoot festival.
On Saturday, February 16, four more young bands are playing Level 3 at EMP, and once again, the winning act will advance to the finals. Last week's lineup was metal heavy with The Dead Are Judged and SouthGate; this week, hiphop steps up to the mic.
Seattle crew KnowMads name Blue Scholars, Tupac, and OutKast as a few of their biggest influences. Their songs are relaxed and cool—catchy hooks and grooves loop underneath the MCs' passionate but laid-back delivery. "Sunrise" has a vintage feel to it—the balladesque music might be played during a couples skate at the roller rink; the lyrics address political and social issues and express optimistic personal thoughts.
Scribes, a solo rapper also from Seattle, has a more abrasive style—his flow is quicker and more aggressive than that of KnowMads, while his piano/horn-heavy tracks (produced by Sound Dialect) nod to jazz, blues, and soul. He takes on the things that dumb down society in "Distractions" ("Distractions/From the clothes that I get/to the women swimming in my television set/I'm staring in a daze/like a media slave"). He has some range, though—the song "Sweetheart" is a little more playful.
Jumping from hiphop into singer/songwriter territory, this weekend's show also has two folk-influenced artists. The Nextdoor Neighbors, from Olympia, are a pair of young women who accent their quaint, lo-fi pop songs with electronic flourishes that sound like they come from kids' toys. Pat Goodwin, on the other hand, is a solo artist from Seattle, who, with a piano and backing tracks of drums and bass, is comparable to previous Sound Off! finalists the Lonely Forest.
Who's gonna take it? The singer/songwriters? The hiphoppers? Show up at EMP Saturday at 8:00 p.m. to find out. Tickets are $10 for the general public.
And on a non–Sound Off! note—in case, you know, you're against the idea of music being a competition or something—the Pharmacy are playing at the Vera Project with Fleet Foxes on Friday, February 15. It'll be both bands' last local show for a while, as they're each hitting the road for spring tours. The Pharmacy will be back later this month, though, to release their new album, Choose Your Own Adventure, before hitting the road again. Fleet Foxes will be gone until April. 
