Seattle’s Ramona the Band has a shot at becoming Ramona the Winner at the 2012 SXSW music, film and interactive conference in Austin, Texas.

The local, underground “ghetto tech” band is among five finalist bands from Seattle, San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago competing at the annual March conference in a “Pop Up Live” competition sponsored by Popchips (the snack company) and Spin magazine.

Judges were impressed by the group’s blend of vaudeville, burlesque, carnival and seductive underground rock in a single dubbed “Caught Up.” “The vaudeville carnival feel was the most creative idea I saw,” said Spin senior editor David Marchese, one of four judges.

Other judges included Tom Windish of the Windish Agency, managing editor Abbey Simmons of Seattle’s Sound on the Sound and Popchips senior vice-president of marketing Brian Pope.

In addition to Ramona the Band, finalists include The Bruises (San Francisco), Christine Hoberg (New York City), Starving for Gravity (Los Angeles) and Counterpunch (Chicago).

Seattle fans can support Ramona the Band – or any other finalist — by voting by 11:59 p.m. Nov. 14 at the competition’s official website on Facebook. (You may have to “like” the Popchips page before you can view band profiles and vote.)

The winning band, to be announced on Nov. 15, will perform on the Spin stage during SXSW.

Read more about SXSW here. And visit the Popchips website by following this link.