How does Inflowential stack up in mtvU’s new contest?

Raleigh hip-hop crew Inflowential recently nabbed one of three first-place spots in mtvU’s Palm Centro at AT&T Battle of the Bands contest. Pitted against We Are Only Fiction and The Lives of Famous Men, Inflow now competes for a grand prize package that includes $10,000, cell phones and the host spot for an episode of mtvU’s Dean’s List. The winner is decided by votes only, so visit www.bestmusiconcampus.com to decide. Inflow plays Vintage21 Friday, April 25, and with Wyclef Jean and Flo Rida in Boston May 4 as part of MTV’s Campus Invasion tour.NAME:The Lives of Famous MenWe Are Only FictionInflowentialFROM: Portland, Ore. (Portland State University) Woodstock, Ga. (Georgia Perimeter College) Raleigh, N.C. (North Carolina State University) SINCE: 2006 2005 2003 DESCRIPTORS: Dancy, Poppy, Immature Melodic, Energetic, Overdone Organic, Optimistic, Clever RIYL: Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, We Are Only Fiction The Almost, The Starting Line, The Lives of Famous Men A Tribe Called Quest, Little Brother, The Roots YOUTUBE EVIDENCE: In Portland, teens giggled, crowdsurfed and dancedawkwardlyto a mildly energetic performance. The stage presence of a typical band at The Brewery. Spoken word, beatbox solos and participatory anthems to get the crowd moving. MYSPACE FACTOR: Barely pushing the contest on its profile, but more than 73,000 friends and a separate street team page mean business. Doing a fine job promoting the contest, butwith just less than 4,000 friendsthe band’s far behind its opponents. “Vote For Inflow” background adds nice touch, but with just over 13,000 friends (less than one-fifth of The Lives’), Inflow’s outnumbered. PREDICTION: With a strong backing from the OMG-ers, the band could win. Outnumbered and overmatched; a victory would be a huge upset here. Hometown favoritism aside, Inflow is the only act doing something different. A split of the pop-punk teen vote should mean victory. ODDS: 5-2 10-1 2-1