America has voted. Or at least 20,000 or so Twin Cities hipsters who know that Vita.mn is not an offshoot of GNC health-supplement kingdom have voted.
Here are the three finalists in the third annual Are You Local? contest, picked through a combination of popular vote and Vita.mn staff selection. Each will perform at 7th Street Entry on March 2 for a chance to play the Vita.mn day party at the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas. The live competition happens concurrently with the Are You Local? pre-SXSW send-off party at First Ave with Peter wolf Crier, Astronautalis, Pink Mink, the Blind Shake and Fort Wilson Riot.
The contestants are…
Xavier Marquis: A Minneapolis native with Lupe/Kanye-esque flavor who spent a little time entrenched in the Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis camp, he is starting to play around town with a six-piece live band. Hear his submitted track here.
Prissy Clerks: The new reverb-packing indie-rock band led by Clara Salyer, who fronted Total Babe while still in high school until the guitarist went off to front some other band the Brits love named Howler. One of her new partners is none other than Howard Hamilton III of Red Pens fame. Here's their track.
The Japhies: These young throwback rockers started throwing themselves across local club stages last year but are just now getting around to making their debut full-length album. Here's a column I wrote on them from a few weeks ago (which in no way gives them any edge in the contest; maybe even the opposite). This is their track.
