For those of you familiar with the Chippewa Valley music scene, the Launchpad High School Music Competition will probably sound quite familiar to you. The seventh edition of our local “garage band” competition sponsored by the Wisconsin School Music Association kicks off on April 29 in the Chippewa Falls High School auditorium, pitting some of the area’s most promising artists in a head-to-head, winner-take-all bout. Whoever comes out on top advances to the state finals on June 11 in Madison, and gets some pretty awesome prizes to boot. Those victorious few are looking forward to their spoils, which include a spot in the lineup at Summerfest, a free recording session at Blast House Studios, and a package of musical equipment for their school, courtesy of Yamaha. The lineup includes bands from Elk Mound, Cumberland, Somerset, and LaCrosse area high schools. For more information visit LaunchpadWisconsin.org.