Star Battle draws 19 bands

This year's field stretches from Douglas and Nogales to Marana, the broadest representation to date.

The competition was open to full-time Southern Arizona high school students, ages 14 through 19.

Six finalists, determined by a panel of judges, will be announced in Caliente Nov. 18.

The finalists will play a Jan. 16 warm-up show at Club Congress and the live Battle of the Bands showdown at the Rialto Theatre on Feb. 18.

Here's a look at the 19 combatants. You can learn more about the bands, see photos and listen to their music at aznightbuzz.com/botb.

University High School band 29 Lines' submission says the four-member group was influenced by Ben Folds, We Are Scientists, Death Cab for Cutie, Coldplay, Stravinsky and Bach.

Solo singer-songwriter Alisha Peru of Cienega High School lists influences including Evanescence and Alicia Keys. She plays piano and guitar and recorded her first CD in June.

Break the Moon, a four-piece band from Flowing Wells High School, formed in August 2009 and lists influences including The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Never Shout Never.

Chimerical Caxi is an unconventional - violin, piano and lead vocal - trio from Canyon del Oro High School and Basis Tucson. They list influences including KT Tunstall, Elton John and classical violinists.

Complex Houses, a drums-bass-and-guitar trio from Empire High School formed in September 2009, although the band's bass and guitar players have played together since they were 12. Their diverse influences include Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie and Wilco.

Cynosure is a five-piece group from Nogales High School with influences ranging from Tool and the Deftones to Blink 182 and Machine Head.

Dark Aeturnis is made up of musicians from three schools, Flowing Wells, Santa Rita and Sky Islands. The self-described black metal band's influences including Children of Bodom, Marilyn Manson and Avenged Sevenfold.

Exosense, from Sonoran Science Academy, took its present form in 2009 when it expanded from a guitar duo to a full band with bass, drums and vocals. Their influences include Iron Maiden, The Beatles, System of a Down and Rush.

Catalina Foothills four-piece Manic After Hours draws from rock, reggae, jazz and pop, including Dave Matthews, Minus the Bear, the Grateful Dead, the Roots and Radiohead among their influences.

Rite of Kin, a hard-rocking trio from University High School, formed in February 2009 claiming influences from Rush and Metallica to Dire Straits and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Santa Rita High School trio Savanah formed in August 2009 and their original songs are influenced by Sublime, Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Reel Big Fish, among others.

Members of Six String Theory, a four-piece from Flowing Wells High School, met in the school's jazz band and includes trombone, bass, guitar and drums and two voices. They're influenced by Sublime, NOFX, The Beatles, Bad Religion and consider themselves a ska/punk group.

The Ellipses - a four-piece with two guitars, bass and drums from Catalina Foothills High School - identifies as a rock group with influences including The Strokes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Modest Mouse and Switchfoot.

The Floor is Lava is a five-piece metal group with both female and male lead vocals. They're from Sabino High School and narrow down their brand of metal with a genre self-description of "post-hardcore/screamo." Influences include The Devil Wears Prada, A Day to Remember and August Burns Red.

The Opposables are a four-piece made up of musicians from Catalina Foothills and University high schools. They list themselves as alternative rock and include a wild range of influences from Dr. Dog and Spacehog to Jimi Hendrix and Steely Dan.

Metal band The Reprisal from University High School - two guitars, bass and drums - has been together since September 2009 and credits Papa Roach and Lynyrd Skynyrd in addition to a long list of heavy metal and hard rockers as influencing them.

Tucson High's Tyler Scruggs is one of the few singer-songwriters in this year's competition. He accompanies himself on guitar, but uses bass and drums on his recordings. He lists David Bowie, Weezer, Kanye West and Randy Newman as influences.

Unbreakable is a punk/pop four-piece from Sunnyside High School. They met in Sunnyside's guitar classes and jazz band and formed the group in October 2009. Their influences include Jonas brothers, Relient K, Reik and Rabito.

Wrest is an alternative metal five piece - two guitarists, bass, drums and a lead singer - from Douglas High School. Their influences are Linkin Park, Tool, Whitesnake, Slipknot, A Day to Remember and Michael Jackson.