Eight-man Dyno Jamz combines hip-hop and horns to win EMP Sound Off! battle of bands

Dyno Jamz won the 2009 EMP Sound Off!, one of the largest battles of the bands in the Northwest, in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday night. About 1,000 fans decided the fates of the underage bands performing that night, with Dyno Jamz, a Seattle hip-hop-jazz band, taking both first place and the audience response prize.

The eight-man band includes horns, drums, bass, keyboards and an MC, and a combination of influences from Miles Davis to Tower of Power.

Seattle rapper SOL came in second, with all-girl Eastern European eclectic-indie-rock band Dearboy third, and the Tacoma indie-post-punk duo Makeup Monsters fourth. (Read more on the bands at The Seattle Times preview story, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2008818519_zmus06soundoff.html).

Traditionally, Sound Off! has been a launchpad for Northwest bands, propelling them onto popular music festivals such as Sasquatch! and South by Southwest. And as part of winning the contest, Dyno Jamz will take a coveted spot at the Seattle music festival Bumbershoot.

Read more on Dyno Jamz at the band's MySpace, www.myspace.com/dynojamz.

Marian Liu: 206-464-3825 or mliu@seattletimes.com