Nine of the area’s best bands go head-to-head to help The Food Bank of Monterey County.

The first part of Band-Aid Music Battle benefit at Planet Gemini could’ve gone to anyone.

Pacific Grove’s all-girl Folsom Youth ruled with their clippership of personality and enlightened song selection, from Bo Diddley’s “Not Fade Away” to The White Stripes’ “Fell in Love With a Girl.”

Lillie Lemon tore through an impassioned-yet-playful set with bandmate Eric Wobbles mostly featuring tunes off her recent record /brak/, including “I Refuse” and the instant classic “Harrow Driver.”

Mental Musk, also Pacific Grove High School students, channeled Guns N’ Roses’ bad boy attitude while swapping hugs between bandmembers and words of encouragement to one another. The group covered Axl Rose anthem “Night Train” and Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid,” plus originals like “Fogged In,” an angsty sod off to its butterfly-loving hometown.

The Beholder Band nine-piece local supergroup, orchestrated by Moses Nose’s Vincent Randazzo, turned potential chaos into a mix of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and the Avett Brothers.

In the end, Mental Musk and Lillie Lemon were voted to move on to the finals on May 28. The other two acts will be decided tonight, Thursday, May 14.

They include Burnt Palms, which guitarist/singer Christina Riley describes as a mix of pop and alternative smothered in garage rock – with a hint of ’90s Riot grrrl.

“Sometimes there are glimpses of several types of music within one song,” Riley says. “We try to write fun songs that mean something to us.”

The Pip Squeeks’ young, dominant garage rock will earn much consideration. The trio’s debut features a load of retro nuggets like “My Baby’s Cruel.”

Psychos in Love have been on the scene longer than any of the bands. A fiesta salad of outlaw country, punk and psychobilly is on the menu when this Seaside foursome gets on the stage.

Punk trio The Bloody Kerouacs are quickly establishing themselves in the local scene, performing whenever they can. On Monday, May 18, the outfit opens for Moses Nose at Henry Miller Library.

Two years ago, Eddie Kawashima started The Microclouds as a one-man operation. He layered his own glockenspiel, melodica, guitar, bass, drums, toy trumpet and more in certain songs.

“I just wanted to create a wall of sound,” he says. “I like things varied.” “Girl on the Moon” is like a blend of My Bloody Valentine, M83 and an old clock radio hooked up to reverb and distortion effects. Let the healing rock on.

BAND-AID MUSIC BATTLE II 8:30 Thursday, May 14. Planet Gemini, 2100 N. Fremont St., Monterey. $8 donation benefits the Food Bank for Monterey County. 373-1449.