Renton's Dave B Takes Top Honor at EMP's Sound Off! Battle of the Bands

Dave B, a Renton hip-hop artist and Lindbergh High School graduate, gets a guaranteed spot in Seattle’s Bumbershoot festival after winning the 2013 Sound Off! 21-and-under battle of the bands at EMP Museum’s Sky Church, according to pop music critic Gene Stout.

Dave Bowman and his group of fellow Lindbergh graduates had been the wild-card pick for the finals Saturday, Stout reported in a piece posted on The Seattle Times website. (You can watch a video of Dave B performing in round one of the semifinals in the attached video.)

The rest of the finishers: SHEBEAR, an indie-pop group from Puyallup, came in second. The Fame Riot, an electro-pop band from Tacoma, took third. And As It Starts, from Bothell, came in fourth. All finalists will receive gear, studio time, radio airplay and consultations with music-industry pros.

You can listen to songs from each of the finalists at the EMP Sound Off! site here.