KISS battle. Round 1 (41 photos)

Ten bands played to a packed house at the Canadian Night Club last night, in Round 1 of the KISS battle of the bands presented by Rock 101.

A total of 20 Sault-area bands are fighting for the privilege of opening for KISS on December 15 at the Essar Centre.

Last night, the participating bands were Huckster, Tiny Trebuchet, Stifler's Mom, Nebraska Arms, Flat Stanley, Caveman Morrison, Sykotyk Rampage, Blues Harvest, Garden of Bedlam, and Dirty Virgin.

Five bands from both Monday and Tuesday night's rounds will be chosen to compete in Wednesday night's final showdown.

The five chosen last night to move on to the final round were (in no particular order) Stifler's Mom, Nebraska Arms, Flat Stanley, Blues Harvest, and Garden of Bedlam.

Rock 101 radio personality Mark San Angelo (shown) played the role of emcee at last night's showcase.

And although San Angelo admitted to SooToday.com that he's involved in judging the contest, he was tight-lipped about disclosing identities of the other judges.

He also wouldn't reveal the criteria on which the bands are being judged.

"We're looking for a band that represents the Sault's thriving music scene," he told us. "A band that plays well, sounds great and who are great songwriters. The audience plays a role too."

Each band is given only two songs to show their stuff, a rule the organizers are strictly enforcing as Dirty Virgin quickly discovered.

When Dirty Virgin attempted to play a third number during the last slot of the night, event organizers instructed George Ravlich of Crank Sound Distribution to cut the sound.

The battle continues tonight at the Canadian Night Club at 9 p.m.

Admission is $4 at the door.

The bands pictured in the gallery below are shown in order of appearance.