Crosscut Now
May 18, 2021 - MoPOP’s battle of the bands continues
5/18/2021 | 1m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
MoPOP’s battle of the bands continues — without an audience.
Like most of Seattle’s live music scene, this year’s 20th edition of ‘Sound Off!’ looks radically different.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Crosscut Now is a local public television program presented by Cascade PBS
Crosscut Now
May 18, 2021 - MoPOP’s battle of the bands continues
5/18/2021 | 1m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
Like most of Seattle’s live music scene, this year’s 20th edition of ‘Sound Off!’ looks radically different.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship(reverent orchestral music) - I'm Starla Sampaco in the Crosscut KCTS 9 newsroom.
(soft ambient music) For 20 years, young musicians have competed on MoPop's spectacular Sky Church stage in a battle-of-the-bands music contest called Sound Off!
and always before a live audience.
The live showcase has launched the careers of many 21-and-under artists.
Like most of the live music scene, this year's Sound Off!
was radically different.
Both the crowd and competition elements are gone.
Instead of one make-or-break performance before hundreds of fans, bands got three takes as a film crew circled the stage for a concert video.
It's not ideal for musicians who are learning stage performance.
But after a year of no live gigs, these artists are happy to be on any stage.
Rapper/singer Kiddus Fecto said, "Whether there's 100 people in front of me or zero people, "I deliver the same performance."
The entire Sound Off!
video will be available on YouTube and Facebook at the end of May.
I'm Starla Sampaco.
Find nonprofit Northwest news every day on crosscut.com.
(reverent orchestral music)
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Crosscut Now is a local public television program presented by Cascade PBS