Music junkies, this summer—as Tucson temperatures rise to rival those found in the Sixth Circle of Hell─legendary venue The Rock and Tucson Weekly call out vaingloriously, to the faithless and faithful alike, to announce the First Annual Local Showdown.

The Local Showdown is a summer-long showcase where local bands/musicians, from all genres—from highbrow to lowbrow, from bluegrass to rap—battle it out before a panel of music aficionados to decide a winner. All ages are welcome to bring it on. Whoever is best at what they do wins, and then there are runnerups.

At the end of the contest, after the bodies are carted off, to the victor belong the spoils. Prizes include: A feature article in Tucson Weekly, professional studio recording and music video shoot (for a single), sweet merch and marketing packages and a mini-tour (plus gas/food cards). Not to mention bragging rights.

The Showdown kicks off June 30 with subsequent rounds on July 8 & 22, Aug. 5 with semi-finals on Aug. 19. Finals will be held Sept. 9.

It’s simple to enter into the competition: submit a video or audio link (YouTube, SoundCloud, bandcamp, etc.) by June 15 the new and extended entry deadline of June 22! to tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com. Only the first 150 submissions will be accepted.

Pre-sale tickets are $6 (with a cut to the bands). $8 at the door. All events to be held at The Rock, 136 N. Park Avenue, (520) 629-9211. Shows start at 6 p.m.