KEXP Suggests: EMP’s Sound Off! Semi-Finals #1 at the EMP Museum 2/13

Every year, EMP's Sound Off! competition showcases emerging stars in the all-ages music scene. Previous winners have included The Lonely Forest, Dyme Def, Sol, Kithkin, Brothers from Another, Manatee Commune, Fauna Shade, Schoolyard Heroes, Tomten, and Brite Futures, just to name a few. This Saturday, February 13th, EMP kicks off their 15th annual competition at the EMP Museum with the first round of semi-finals. For the next three Saturdays in February, these talented youths will battle it out towards the finals on Saturday, March 5th.

The first round features Copalis, COSMOS, Jazzy Tee, and Party Shark.

[ Photos by Brady Harvey, courtesy of EMP Museum ]

Woodinville duo Copalis cite Radiohead, Weezer, the Beach Boys, and the Pixies as influences on their psych-rock sound. And according to their Facebook page, KEXP volunteer Van Wolfe will be filling in for some absent band members!

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Led by hip-hop vocalist Campana, COSMOS combines jazzy elements with electronic beats, citing Thundercat, Kendrick Lamar, and Chance the Rapper as influences. Check out some footage from a recent Vera Project performance below:

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Vancouver, BC-based artist Jazzy Tee proclaims, "I float like Lauryn and I’m bobbing like Alicia," which truly captures her soulful R&B style. Check out her cover of "The Hills" by fellow Canadian artist The Weeknd below, composed by Chance Breezy Beats.

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Out of Lake Forest Park comes Party Shark, and with a name like that, you know you're in for a good time. With influences from Bowie to Bad Brains, the young quartet describe themselves as "a shark with sunglasses, on land at a party, eating people alive."

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Not only will you hear live music from these talented peeps, there will also be performances from Sound Off! alumni including Otieno Terry, Emma Lee Toyoda and Grant Eadie (Manatee Commune), members of Kithkin, and more. Tickets to Saturday's show are $14 for general public, and $10 for EMP members, youth ages 5-17, and students with ID. (Online tickets available here.) Doors are at 7:00 PM with the show starting at 8:00 PM.