At its best, rock and roll is a noncompetitive, egalitarian art form, in which like-minded musicians come together to create, communicate and share their souls as equals instead of constructing bloody ladders to superstardom out of the corpses of the weak. Of course, that's total crap, and for proof, check out Battle of the Bands Volume 1: Punk Rock, being waged Sunday, March 21, at the Climax Lounge. The local venue-cum-coliseum will be hosting the first of a series of shows where Denver-area bands -- many comprising teenagers and neophytes -- will compete for cash prizes, recognition and the chance to garner opening slots for some of the popular national acts that regularly grace the Climax's stage. The opening skirmish will be fought by five valiant battalions known only as Danger Gnome, C.I.A., the Allergies, the Susceptibles (right) and Becadance, and they will be judged by various dignitaries from Colorado's music scene. Besides all the loot and fame, the spoils of victory include an appearance on a forthcoming CD compilation; for more information, aspiring combatants should drop a line to [email protected]. If you want to see American Idol up close, visceral and loud as fuck, grab a ringside seat for the Battle.