It's that time again. That's right, all you lovely lads and lasses, it's time once more to kick off the dawn of summer vacation with the city of Spokane's annual battle of the teenage bands competition this Saturday at Riverfront Park, more commonly known as BOBfest. School may be out, but that doesn't mean that you can skip your rock class -- oh no. They'll be taking attendance.

This year, BOBfest organizers over at the Chase Youth Commission's Teen Advisory Council have done it up this band comp thing Survivor-style with 11 teen garage bands competing to be the sole survivor -- and winner of a complete CD recording package from local studio, College Road Recording. The bands will be judged by a panel of local experts who will then hand down scores based on musical ability and originality. Competing this year will be local bands McKinnon Avenue, Messplaced, No Such Luck, Catalyst, One Way Up, Unison, Quagmire, Yetis, Big Wang Theory, Logan Heftel and Band and the Electrostatics. After the competition, 2004 BOBfest winner, local band Mylestone, will perform, frosting the competition's cake for another year.

Additionally, a BOBfest 2005 CD featuring an original single by each of the competing bands will be available for sale during BOBfest. And best of all, the festival is free.

BOBfest at Riverfront Park's Lilac Stage on Saturday, June 18, from 1-7 pm. Free. Call 625-6054.