Prizes for the first-place winner include a highly coveted performance slot at Bumbershoot 2008, a live on-air performance on KEXP 90.3's Audioasis, production of a song from Glenn Lorbecki at Glenn Sound Studio, two additional days of studio time at Soundhouse Studio and a Gibson Les Paul Double Cut guitar and amp provided by Gibson. Prizes for the second-place winner include a performance at Northwest Folklife 2008, a live on-air performance on 107.7 The End's The Young and The Restless, two days of studio time at Orbit Audio Studio and an Epiphone Sheraton II. The third-place winner will receive two days studio time at The Old Firehouse Teen Center studio and a Kramer Vanguard FR-440. All of the top three winners will receive a collection of Shure microphones and an industry consultation from the Recording Academy. The audience response winner at the final concert will receive two days of studio time at The Vera Project.

In its seventh year, Sound Off! supports the local underage music scene by giving young artists from different backgrounds a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come together and play their original music in a positive, all-ages atmosphere. A launching pad for musical careers, SoundOff! has enjoyed hosting many young up-and-coming bands over the years including: Schoolyard Heroes, Idiot Pilot, Mon Frere, The Lonely H, Dyme Def, Capitol Basement, The Lonely Forest and Natalie Portman's Shaved Head.

Every fall, EMP|SFM sends out the call for young musicians, ages 21 and under, to submit their demo discs, and every year our panel of judges sorts through entries from numerous talented hopefuls. From rock to rap, indie to heavy metal, jazz to electronica, the diversity in young talent throughout the Pacific Northwest is represented well in our selection of semi-finalists. -- www.empsfm.org