Photographs By Mark Samala / Daily Titan

At the start of pounding drums, drilling guitar and drowning bass, Fullerton band Sederra started its 15-minute set.

With each gyrating dance move, singer Tom Schmidt sang to the audience, jumped on tables and swung from light fixtures.

"Any singer who jumps on the table has got my attention," said Tazy Phyllipz, a judge at the Orange County Music Awards Showcase.

Sederra was one of the five bands who performed at the Slidebar in downtown Fullerton and was part of the Showcase Series night seven. As part of the Best Live Band category, each contestant performed onstage for about 15-minute sets.

Other band contestants performing at the showcase included artists Echo Echo, Fiction Reform, We Are Arsenal and Blok.

Blok won last year for Best Live Band and is nominated for Best Alternative Band, Best Electronic Band and Best Hip-Hop. Echo Echo and We Are Arsenal are also nominated for Best Alternative Band.

Echo Echo was the first to perform at the start of the night. Loyal fans crowded around the stage, set up band merchandise and handed out glow bands to audience members.

"Their material is their own material, they don't copy other bands," said Gary Carson, father of singer Steve Carson.

For Phyllipz, it was his first time seeing Echo Echo.

"It was good, it was a quality band," Phyllipz said.

As one of the judges at the showcase, Phyllipz had to rate each band on five categories: musicianship, originality, song composition, stage presence, and attendance and participation.

Showcases started Jan. 4, launching off the seven weeks of free showcases with the Best Live Band and Best Acoustic Alternative Band performances.

The nine showcases leading up the 2011 OC Music Awards will feature 35 local artists who will compete for the Best Live Band and Best Acoustic Band titles. Artists will also get a chance to win a performance slot at the awards ceremony held March 5 at the Grove of Anaheim.

For the first time this year one of the showcase series finalists will be decided by an online fan vote. Voter finalists will perform at the showcase finals at the Galaxy Theatre Feb. 25.