VIDEO: Northern Departure Pumped Audience Saturday at EMP's Sound Off! Finals

Members of  Northern Departure, a bluegrass inspired group from Renton, returned to the EMP in Seattle on Saturday night to bring their brand of music to an estimated 700 to 750 people.

They strummed. They swayed. And they shuffled, just a bit, as their rock sounds filled EMP's Sky Church and kept fans in the audience happy. For the band, the performance marked a dream realized.

By the end of the night, Tomten, a Seattle band, received first place. Northern Departure took second, and Fit For Hounds received third place and the audience participation award.

The Oh Wells, a British Columbia group, placed fourth in the final competition.

Sound Off! is the Pacific Northwest's largest underage music competition of its kind. This year's competition marked its 10th anniversary. The event also has served as a launching pad for many of the musical groups to perform on stage.

Northern Departure's members include Derek Gray on standup bass, Nick Dumas on violin and fiddle, Chris Luquette on lead guitar and mandolin, and Austin McGregor on the five-string banjo.

Gene Stout, a Seattle-area pop music critic and writer, was in the audience and observed how the underage music event has evolved since the 1990s.

"The level of professionalism has been coming up steadily since this began 10 years ago," he said. "It's really astounding."

Editor's note: Visit EMP's website for information about all of the bands. EMP's flickr account has photographs from Saturday's final event. EMP's YouTube channel will have videos from Saturday's performances. It already has videos from the semifinal rounds.

Northern Departure can be found online and on Facebook. On his website, Stout has posted a quick review of the Sound Off! 2011 final competition.