One of four young Northwest bands — Candysound (Bellingham and Burlington), Great Waves (Sammamish), Hooves and Beak (Seattle) and SEACATS (Kelso) — will become the first-place winner of the 2010 Sound Off! competition Saturday (March 6) at the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum.

Prizes will also be awarded the second- and third-place winners.

The 2010 battle of the bands began with the first semifinal round Feb. 13. On Feb. 27, Great Waves won the third semifinal, as well as “audience favorite.”

SEACATS came in second, making them eligible for “wild card” band. After the concert, SEACATS were voted into the final competition by EMP/SFM’s Youth Advisory Board, beating out Sea Fever and Pan Pan for the “wild card” spot in the finals. Canada’s Subtle Like a T-Rex and Seattle’s Us on Roofs also performed.

Prizes for the first-place winner will include a performance slot at this year’s Bumbershoot Festival, as well as a live, on-air performance on 107.7 The End’s “The Young and the Restless” show and gear from KORG and Epiphone. Prizes for the second-place winner include a performance at Northwest Folklife 2010 and gear from KORG and Epiphone.

The third-place winner will perform at the Gibson Seattle Showroom. And all winners receive a consultation with The Recording Academy.

Sound Off! has given the local underage music scene a huge boost over the last decade. Previous winners include Dyno Jamz, Schoolyard Heroes, The Lonely H, Dyme Def, The Lonely Forest, Idiot Pilot, Mon Frere, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head and New Faces.

Saturday’s all-ages show begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.). Tickets are available at the EMP/SFM box office or by phone at 206-770-2702. Prices are $10 (or $7 for students or EMP|SFM members).

Get the rest of the Sound Off! details (including band bios and sound clips) by following this link.