Pitch Music Showcase Guide

NEW ACT American Catastrophe American Catastrophe leader Shaun Hamontree's voice sounds like it's been soaked in bourbon and aged with cigarette smoke. His low drawl could distract from any other instrumentation, but he is backed impeccably by the subtle work of Eric Bessenbacher on drums and Amy Farrand on bass and vocals. The sparse arrangements, sprinkled with slide guitar and heavy with effects, complement the bizarre lyrical narratives that Hamontree spins. Last year marked the band's first release, Excerpts From the Broken Bone Choir, finally pressed after two years of painstaking recording. Here's hoping we won't have to wait that long for the next one. www.myspace.com/amcat

Anvil Chorus None of this year's nominees are quite the happy accident that has become Anvil Chorus — nor are any quite as sexy. Slapped together at KC's first Band Scramble in 2004, the drawn-from-a-hat quartet has recently haunted venues all over the area. By turns urgently percussive and sparsely atmospheric, Byron Huhmann's and Brad Wicklander's take on the bass and drums (respectively) sets the mood for Anna Cole's sultry voice and chilling piano. Anvil is in the process of recording its debut full-length — no doubt the dark and brooding release will be a pants-dropper. www.myspace.com/anvilchorusmusic

The Bad Ideas As a self-described "band full of workin' folk," the four guys behind the Bad Ideas are the personification of barroom honky-tonk. By dispensing with the overproduction that plagues the genre's mainstream, the Ideas strip country music down to its two most important elements: solid musicianship and honest songwriting. Plus, if sawdust on the dance floor turns you on, the band's dance numbers, which feature perfunctory shout-outs to whiskey and Hank, will send your boots a-scootin' in no time flat. www.myspace.com/thebadideas

White Whale White Whale's moniker might not ring many bells, but its members' names do. Matt Suggs fronted the much-loved, long-defunct indie outfit Butterglory, and Rob Pope plucked bass for the emo-rtal Get Up Kids. Zach Holland and John Anderson played in the excellent yet lesser-known atmospheric act Thee Higher Burning Fire, as did Dustin Kinsey, who also strums guitar in the New Amsterdams. The quintet's confident, captivating debut, WWI, released on July 25 (Merge), recalls postpunk projects, piano pop, Roxy Music and early R.E.M. more than it does any of its venerated tributaries. www.myspace.com/white whalemusic

Blackpool Lights If the saying "It's not the years — it's the miles" holds any credence, the members of Blackpool Lights must be ready for retirement. In its brief history, the band — assembled by former Get Up Kids guitarist and singer Jim Suptic after that band's breakup — has endured lineup changes, label shifts and Billy Brimblecom's cancer. But only one year later, the band looks stronger than ever, having just released its first album, This Town's Disaster, on its own label, Curb Appeal Records. www.blackpoollights.com

PUNK Ad Astra Per Aspera For years, Ad Astra Per Aspera has been looking for a strong label to support its albums. This year, that goal was finally realized when the band announced that Sonic Unyon Records would release Catapult Calypso in October. Perhaps labels had been wary about how to classify the band, whose peaceful instrumental moments are sometimes interrupted by screaming (yet beautiful) chaos. Not quite punk, rock or metal, Ad Astra is completely unforgettable. www.adastraperaspera.com

The Ssion Sex-crazed dance romp the Ssion keeps its penchant for extravagance at the fore. Leader Cody Critcheloe used to create backdrop animation by hand, and the group has spent countless hours assembling costumes and props for its raucous live shows (once featuring a "blood"-filled effigy of Tori Amos). But the crazy theatrics would be for naught without the perfect accompanying music, something provided by rock babe Rachel Helm's clawing blues riffs. Critcheloe remains the sleaziest man in local rock, strutting and yowling like a young Lou Reed, and partner in punk Laura Frank provides the Karen O.-like female foil. Art kids do know how to rock. www.ssion.com

Super Black Market No matter who wins the prize, Super Black Market is without question Rookie of the Year. Whereas so many in its class (see a list of the bands on this year's Warped Tour) still wail about girl trouble, Super Black Market just wants to be pissed or get pissed (or both), then rock out. The band's debut, Will Sell Anything, shows a sharp-toothed pack of young men who aren't too happy about American culture, particularly the music industry, and who aren't afraid to lash out with cutting guitar riffs and hardcore screams that would tear the flesh off Henry Rollins' face. But rather than adopt a kind of punk piety, the band knows that a "Belt of Scotch" and "The Right Chords" are important, too. And when you hear "We'll Make Your Ass Dance (to the Death Beat)," dude, watch the fuck out. www.superblackmarket.com

Shotgun Idols Technically, Shotgun Idols play gritty garage rock, even if they increase the velocity to street-race proportions. What makes this group punk is its live show. Frontman Tim Nord's hilariously unhinged, often off-color onstage banter alternately engages and enrages audiences, even though the offended usually start laughing in spite of themselves after a few songs. Amy Farrand's badass stage presence and filthy blues riffs can turn even jaded barflies into cowering supplicants. The Idols have been hibernating for a while, which only means they'll be filled with ursine fury when they finally emerge from their cave for the showcase. www.shotgunidols.com