KEXP Suggests: Sound Off! Semi-Finals #1 at the MoPOP Museum 2/10

It's that time of year again: MoPOP’s Sound Off! has been pitting local bands against each other for 16 years now. The all-ages "battle of the bands" have introduced us to acts like The Lonely Forest, Naked Giants, Manatee Commune, and more. The 2017 competition kicks off tonight, Friday, February 10th, as DJ Troy Nelson presents our first round of semi-finalists: Cult Bride, Fluencie, Jason McCue, and Mission 253. Every Friday night this month, a new band will progress to the finals on Saturday, March 11th, and KEXP's Audioasis will be broadcasting live from the main event!

[ Photos courtesy of MoPOP Museum ]Making the trek from Boise, ID is Cult Bride, a band who marry orchestral sounds with somber, passionate vocals. Formed from the ashes of the band Calico (another Sound Off! alum), the group just released their debut EP, Cult Bride Acoustic.

From our own backyards comes electronic trio Fluencie, bringing smooth beats, airy vocals, and a strong production to their songs. Despite the group's relative youth, they've already made their mark doing a remix for Foster The People. Their most recent single "Don't Let Me Go" just came out on Fated Records.

With influences from Elliott Smith to Built to Spill, singer/songwriter Jason McCue truly shows his Northwest roots. (You can even hear a little Car Seat Headrest in there, for more local connections!) McCue has a truly distinctive voice, not just in sound, but also lyrically. Late last summer, he released his debut album Humans, which (as he explains) is "all about humans and animals."

And coming in from Tacoma is Mission 253, a five-piece band who combine soulful funk with alternative pop. The guys met in 2013 at Rock and Roll Band Camp, and have been playing around the Northwest ever since.

Tickets to tonight's show are $14 for general public, and $10 for students with ID. (Online tickets available here.) Doors are at 7:00 PM with the show starting at 8:00 PM.