The Epilogues win Westword's Best of the West competition

After Thirty-two bands faced off over the last three months, the Epilogues took the top prize from Yerkish, Forth Yeer and Goldie & the Bears during the finals of Westword's Best of the West competition Friday at Herman's Hideaway. At the end of the night, the Epilogues were handed a check for $4,000 from Westword. The band also gets a $7,000-plus recording package with Colorado Sound and producer/engineer JP Manza, a regional endorsement from Sabian Cymbals, a promotional package and will play at Red Rocks this summer for Film on the Rocks. See the breakdown after the jump.

Goldie & the Bears Rundown: With a five-octave range, Goldie undoubtedly has some some amazing pipes. And she's been working those pipes for a while now, having sung at Nuggets and Rockies game when she was just a kid, and she was even signed to Capitol Records at the age of fourteen. She showcased that marvelous vocal range throughout the set, sometimes starting low and soaring wonderfully into the upper peaks of her range.

Final word: While she was in mighty fine form vocally, her voice seem to contrast rather than compliment some of the hard rocking tunes the Bears were churning out.

Yerkish Rundown:The guys in Yerkish always seemed to deliver some incredibly tight sets, which is no easy feat considering how intricate and rhythmically complex some the songs are. The band was in top form Friday, skillfully maneuvering through songs from its latest effort, Fear Conquers America, as well as some new material the band will release next month. But near the end of the set, seeming try to pull out all the stops, Yerkish invited a three female singers and a three-piece horn section onstage.

Final word:Yerkish was technically proficient, but the singers and horn section might have been a bit too much.

Forth Yeer Rundown:The guys in Forth Yeer blasted out of the gate with balls-out fury and delivered a hell of an vigorous set of dirty rock. The beefy three-guitar assault helped keep the train rolling through tunes dipped in as much AC/DC and Motorhead bravado as Skynrd grit.

Final word:These guys were a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

The Epilogues Rundown:Although completely different than each of other three acts, the Epilogues delivered the most polished and most compelling set of the night. The guys brought a brilliant set of thoroughly infectious tunes, each complemented by slightly different light shows. Some tunes might be lit from hanging bulbs or pulsating strobes, while others were accentuated by streams of light coming behind the drum kit.

Final word:While there might have been a few hundred folks at Herman's, the Epilogues played a set fit for an arena.