Vote on!

Cavalry

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The voting period has ended! Click here to find out the four winners you chose to rock LaSalle Power Co. on May 7!

Forget the recession: Chicago’s local music scene is still going strong, at least judging by the 100 or so submissions we received for our 6th annual Rock ‘n’ Vote contest. We narrowed the crop down to 10 finalists; now it’s up to you to read about them and go to metromix.com to listen to an MP3 from each band. Then vote for your favorites--the top four vote-getters play a free show May 7 at new downtown bar LaSalle Power Co. (Need help deciding? Meet the finalists and voice your choice via onsite text voting at Friday's Sneak Peek Party at LaSalle Power Co.) Don’t delay! Polls close midnight Sunday.

Cavalry

Fronted by Collin Patrick (former bassist of 2007 Rock ‘n’ Vote alums White Hot Knife), Cavalry has a brilliantly direct motto (paraphrased from “The Blues Brothers”): “We play both kinds of music …rock and roll.” Indeed, the quintet’s hard rock sound-evoking groups from Thin Lizzy to Velvet Revolver-is straightforward and thunderous, the perfect antidote for people sick of bands wearing headbands and playing songs simply meant to be “cute.”

Listen: “Love Rock”

Cobalt and the Hired Guns

Ever feel unable to stop your foot from tapping? Well, you will when listening to this cheerful folk-rock quartet, which prides itself on involving audience members in shows (tambourines are often passed around). Vocalist Matt Hart calls the band’s sound “upbeat Americana folk-punk” and notes that they like to make friends. When we say that’s not a very punk attitude, he adds, “It’s like very inclusive, happy punk.”

Listen: “You Left Your Sweater”

I Fight Dragons

What the devil is Nintendo pop, you ask? Well, I Fight Dragons actually involves video game noises in their songs, and uses controllers (and a Power Pad!) in concert. It’s no gimmick, though: the sextet’s EP, “Cool is Just a Number,” offers such catchy hooks that “irresistible” feels like an understatement.

Listen: “No One Likes Superman Anymore”

The Loneliest Monk

A cello and a drumset usually isn’t enough for a band to get started. But singer/cellist/keyboardist Michelle Morales and drummer/vocalist Miles Benjamin create plenty of artful drama out of their unusual composition, adding extra theatrical layers with onstage costumes that Morales calls “Victorian meets Goth meets vintage.” “Since people are paying money,” she says, “We may as well give ‘em something to look at that’s interesting.” Good policy.

Listen: “You Don’t Have to Try”

Love in October

Singer-guitarist Erik Widman-who came to the U.S. from Sweden with bassist/younger brother Kent in 2000--summarizes Love in October as “Swedish indie dance rock.” But the elder Widman acknowledges that the peppy-yet-too-sweet-to-be-hipster group plays a “smorgasbord” of songs: Some in English. Some in Swedish. Dance. Rock. Spanish opera? You’ll have to vote for them to see that one in person.

Listen: “Soft Errors”

MetroVox

MetroVox singer Adam Gil once deliberately tried to mimic Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. Now, however, Gil’s voice sounds more like Yorke in the midst of a guitar-rock obsession, riding atop indie rock that crashes “The Bends” into a 1960s garage and dares you to dance to the collision. Find a partner who likes turning it up to 11.

Listen: “King of Bedrock”

Pet Lions

Yes, you could compare Pet Lions to the Strokes, and not just because of singer Karl Ostby’s Julian Casablancas-esque voice. Yet Pet Lions are more polished and harmonic, crafting tight, hummable tracks that find the perfect spot between pop and rock. Count on tracks like “Roman History” and “Propeller Plane” grabbing a seat in your head for at least a day or two.

Listen: “Roman History”

The Steak House Mints

Featuring members of Filter, Kick the Cat and Mighty Blue Kings, The Steak House Mints don’t necessarily have the DNA you’d expect for a group so at home with breezy, orchestral pop. Yet tunes like “Out of the Sky” have a distinctly Jon Brion-meets-Beatles vibe, and frontman Billy Dave Sherman promises quite an experience from the band’s shows: “Bells and whistles, fireworks, hot chicks and free popcorn.” Curious?

Listen: “All Because of You”

The Streets on Fire

Drummer Gabe Palomo cites the White Stripes, The Doors and Joy Division as influences to the Streets on Fire-not an easy formula to deliver on. Yet the “disco-punk-rock” quartet fully captures the requisite energy and sexy spark on songs like “Flannel Attack” and “We Play with Tigers.” Do they actually play with tigers? “No,” says Palomo. “I’m scared of big animals.”

Listen: “Flannel Attack”

VertiKal

Finding something fresh in the Philly-driven neo-soul movement, eight-piece outfit VertiKal mixes punchy horns, soulful vocals and laid-back grooves to create a jazzy yet funky environment. In fact, half the band comprises DePaul-educated jazz musicians, and MC Butter drops raps to add something hot to all this cool. Says lead vocalist Stacy Rene, “You can expect to get on your feet and dance, and to also be put in a contemplative mood.” Can you dig it?

Listen: “Ready or Not”