When you think of a classic Battle of the Bands, images of a high school gymnasium and amateur, angsty rockers often come to mind. But in Boston, a head-to-head competition among local musicians implies something different. Rock ‘n Roll Rumble, a nine-day battle of the bands running in its 34th year, kicked off last night at TT the Bear’s Place in Central Square, its time-honored tradition alive and well.

WBCN and its local cable show Boston Emissions (which airs on WZLX) are the forces behind the Rumble, which brings together 24 bands within the local music scene selected by Boston Emissions host Anngelle Wood. Five new judges for each night of the preliminaries will base the winner off of criteria like song lyrics, vocals, and timing, and the champion of each preliminary will automatically move on to the semi-finals. The competition is friendly, and while a winner will be crowned at the final round on April 26, the main purpose of the Rock n Roll Rumble is to put together an under-the-surface festival celebrating local music, with prizes for bands like cash, studio time, and bragging rights just an added bonus.

Last night, The New Highway Hymnal took hold of the first spot into the semi-finals. The New Highway Hymnal takes psychedelic rock to a whole new decibel–their amps are turned way up, and their roots are grounded in a garage-punk base. They beat out Velah, The Okay Win, and Cancer Killing Gemini to earn a second set this weekend, when they’ll face off with the winners of the coming five preliminary rounds, plus two wildcard bands that will finish off the eight semi-finalists.

Individual tickets to each night of the competition and multi-day passes are available for $8 and $27, respectively, at ttthebears.com. Whether you’re interested in seeing each band take its turn during the preliminaries, or just want to check out the final rumble, you’re sure to get your fill of local music in its most competitive spirit. Traditionally, the top showdown includes a special headliner–usually either a nationally touring band or a previous Rumble winner–to perform during the judges’ decision-making, so keep your ears out for news on that front.

Here’s the lineup for each night of the rest of the preliminaries, and good luck to all of this year’s Boston Rumblers.

Night Two; Monday, April 8:  Endation, The Deep North, Herra Terra, Camden

Night Three; Tuesday, April 9: Eddie Japan, Super Machine, Glenn Yoder and the Western States, blackbutton

Night Four; Thursday, April 11: Mount Peru, Whitcomb, Lifestyle, Twin Berlin

Night Five; Friday, April 12: Coyote Kulb, The Field Effect, The Suicide Dolls, White Dynomite

Night Six; Saturday, April 13: Parks, Jack Burton vs. David Lo Pan, Ruby Rose Fox, The Daily Pravda