First Avenue is celebrating some of the best new local bands of 2017 with their annual showcase in the Mainroom on Jan. 5. The lineup consists of seven acts: The Bad Man, BLAHA, Dwynell Roland, Early Eyes, Lady Lark, Sass, and Thomas Abban (five of whom were winners of City Pages' Picked to Click poll this year).

The event is presented by The Current and Radio K. The night will be hosted by The Current's Andrea Swensson; Sylvia Jennings, a digital producer for Radio K; and Jordan Alamat of Go Radio.

Here is a full list of First Avenue's Best New Bands of 2017:

The Bad Man describe themselves as "unprepared, loud, and rowdy." The band formed in 2016 and released their debut album, Aint Clean earlier this year.

BLAHA is the latest project of Blind Shake guitarist/vocalist Mike Blaha. BLAHA came in 7th place in the Picked to Click poll.

Rapper Dwynell Roland came in at #4 in Picked to Click and performed at Rock the Garden 2017. Listen to his in-studio session with The Current, and watch him rap on the Minnesota State Fair Sky Ride.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz8r6fjWQPc

Early Eyes formed in 2016 and have been steadily gaining attention in the local scene following the release of their EP Minutes. Check out Maia Jacobson's interview and feature on the band.

Lady Lark is the project of soul/pop artist Taylor Harris, who was #10 in Picked to Click. Lady Lark performed live with The Current at the 2017 MN State Fair. Read Cecilia Johnson’s interview.

https://www.facebook.com/TheCurrent/videos/10154689231782657/

Sass is an indie pop group fronted by Tony Peachka guitarist/vocalist Stephanie Jo Murck. They came in 6th place in Picked to Click

Thomas Abban, the winner of Picked to Click, is one of this year's most acclaimed local artists. He released his debut album, A Sheik’s Legacy, this past July and has been steadily garnering attention for his unique blend of musical styles. Last month he sat down with Cecilia Johnson to talk about his signature look, musical idols, and his new record. Abban also stopped by The Current’s studio to play a couple tracks from A Sheik’s Legacy.

https://www.facebook.com/TheCurrent/videos/10154851014702657/

Colleen Cowie is a student at Macalester College. She hosts the show Locally Sourced on WMCN.