“The World Series of Punk” will come to Otto’s Niteclub, 118 E. Lincoln Highway. The venue will host a six band show featuring Chicago and out-of-state talent. The line-up includes: Swizzle Tree, Starter Kit, Logan Square, Declare This an Emergency (MN), Private Drive (SD) and PINE.

Doors open at 8 p.m. The show is 18 and over, and costs $5.

The Northern Star talked with guitarist Ryan Aquino of Starter Kit about the scene, competition and Otto’s.

Northern Star: How would you describe the Chicago scene?

Ryan Aquino: The scene right now is a lot of pop punk, emo, screamo and radio-friendly rock. What we’re trying to do is break free from the mold of the bands of this area and create music that is different from what people are used to and that comes from the wide influences we come from.

NS: Is there a lot of competition out there?

RA: I wouldn’t say there’s competition between bands in the scene, maybe more camaraderie. We’re always happy to help other bands out with shows and promoting and we like to feel that they would do the same for us.

NS: What is the largest genre of music played in Chicago?

RA: I’d say the largest genre right now is the emo/screamo genre. There are a ton of bands like this and a lot of the time I can’t even tell them apart because they sound so similar. This is one genre we don’t want to get lumped into. We want to break free from that mold. One thing I think we have different is that we have screams, crazy guitars and a pop sensibility that will start circle pits and get the girls dancing in the streets.

NS: How do you try to gain exposure for your music?

RA: The biggest way is the Internet. MySpace is awesome for bands because you can get your music out to so many places and get contacts and people listening to the music. It’s easy because bands can easily update things unlike back before MySpace, when you had to learn HTML or ask a friend to help you make a Web site.

NS: What is the show at Otto’s going to be like?

RA: The line-up is going to be great. We’ve been good friends with Swizzle Tree and Logan Square for a long time and we’ve played numerous shows with them. The two out-of-town bands are great and are in the middle of a tour. Emo (other guitarist) and I are NIU alums and we always love playing Otto’s.

Adrian Finiak is a music critic for the Northern Star.