Power to the people, Tucson. You voted on your favorite bands and you even voted on the price you’re willing to pay to see them. In the biggest display of democracy since—well, nevermind – “The Big Word Show” is putting on, in the words of Tim Tompkins himself, “Your Concert” 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 14 at The Rock.

Maybe it’s because of “American Idol” and other reality TV shows, but polling viewers has become very popular in TV land. Take the Fox 11 “Tucson Music Melee,” for example. Recently, “The Big Word” polled about 200 of its viewers, asking them which bands they wanted to see and what they’d be willing to pay for them.

To quote the late great “Family Feud” host Ray Combs, “and the survey says ….” – PH8, the Jons, A Lovely Sort of Death, Eight Way Echo, Worm and Trend Velocity. Those are the bands the polled viewers wanted to see live the most and – if these 200 people are a cross-section of you, the Tucson public, as a whole – that you want to see in concert the most. These seven local bands beat about 30 others, so this is the cream of the crop, so to speak.

PH8 … pronounced “fate”

If you’re looking at the above list of bands and wondering who most of them are, you don’t have to worry about going to the show unprepared. Here’s a little Cliff Notes-style guide to the above bands.

PH8

If you have a hard time reading those designer license plates, you probably can’t read the above name. It’s pronounced “fate” and fate herself seems to like this local group. They’re talent, hard work and a little luck have landed them spots opening up for the likes of Anthrax, Papa Roach, Linkin Park, Disturbed and Sevendust. If you’re a fan of the said bands, chances are that you’ll also like PH8.

The Jons

Whether you like to dance or you’re there to rock, the Jons’ smooth vocals, loud horns and classic guitar riffs are enough to keep anybody happy. They frequently play places like Che’s and even O’Malley’s, where their covers keep the college crowd happy. If you’ve never heard or seen them before, check out this slide show of their recording sessions featuring an early version of “Miss Yugatu.”

A Lovely Sort of Death

It doesn’t take many words to describe A Lovely Sort of Death – loud, in your face, metal. They’ll make your head pound, whether or not you’re into metal or hardcore. Mp3s are available over on their MySpace page. Sorry non-MySpace fans.

C-Rod of The Jons

Eight Way Echo

Eight Way Echo is another band fate is smiling upon. They recently performed in the famous Whisky-A-Go-Go over in L.A. and audiences seem to really like them. Like A Lovely Sort of Death, Eight Way Echo is loud – very loud – though much more emo. Think aggressive vocals over loud, guitars drenched in feedback. Friday night, they’re scheduled to reveal their new name and also to give away some free CDs.

Worm

Worm are partly influenced by grunge – yes, grunge. It’s more the heavier side of grunge, though. Remember how grunge was formed fusing punk and Black Sabbath-esque metal? Well, Worm is more on the Black Sabbath side. They’re a fun band and definitely worth watching.

Trend Velocity

If you’ve watched “The Big Word Show,” you’ve already listened to Trend Velocity, possibly without even realizing it. This jam band wrote show’s theme song and it’s a mighty good one at that. This innovative jam band draws from everything from Phish to the Killers to the Doors to get their sound.

So, how much will all these bands cost you? It depends on your age. People over 21 only pay $5, while youngsters pay $9. Don’t grumble, though, kids. Most over-21-ers will make up for the $4 difference in alcohol…and then some.