Friday night, eight young bands competed for the opportunity to play the main stage at the Capitol Hill Block Party (among other honors, such as placement in a national eSurance commercial, details here). The winner: PWRFL Power, a solo acoustic act with quirky little songs like "The Tomato Song."

Here's the official word from the Capitol Hill Block Party reps:

Close to 300 people came through Seattle's Vera Project to support their favorite bands. The 8 finalists raised the bar for the normal band contest and Seattle is definitely blessed with a great group of bands doing an incredible variety of music. This night featured everything from nerd-core hip hop to stoner rock to power pop. But one performer really stood out – PWRFL Power, and he is the 2007 Block Star winner. PWRFL Power is fresh. Weird. Charming. He performs intimate, sweet bizarre songs mixed with great acoustic guitar work.

PWRFL Power moved to Seattle from Japan in 2003, and he's a very special musician. He took the stage with just his acoustic guitar, and by the middle of his second song he had won over the entire audience. I fully recommend you get to The Block Party by 2pm on July 28 to catch PWRFL Power perform on the mainstage.