It started with 92 acts. Then there were 16. The public voted, and now comes the final five in the Star Tribune's eighth annual Are You Local? best-new-band search. Kiss the Tiger, Lazy Scorsese, Graveyard Club, Nick Jordan and Ayvah will compete live on Monday at the Turf Club in St. Paul. The winner, chosen that night, will bag $2,000 and the opening slot in our AYL showcase concert Feb. 17 at First Avenue with the Suburbs, Gramma's Boyfriend and DJ Shannon Blowtorch.
Let's get more familiar with the bands.
Kiss the Tiger

It was only a couple of years ago that frontwoman Meghan Kreidler, 26, found her love of rock music. Now, it seems that leading a band is something she was born to do.
Much of the guitar-driven attack of Kiss the Tiger's self-titled debut album, released in December, is the work of co-lead singer and rhythm guitarist Michael Anderson, but there's no stopping Kreidler's raw power.
"Rock 'n' roll can't die, in my opinion. It's so visceral and alive," Kreidler says. She's found inspiration in the enduring power of Bruce Springsteen's music, and she's also familiarizing herself with the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and Patti Smith.
"I feel privileged to be a person who gets to hear them for the first time and to have it affect me the way that it does," she says.
As an Asian-American woman, Kreidler also recognizes the opportunity she has with Kiss the Tiger.
"When women of color see me on stage," she says, "I hope they feel empowered."