Local rock band Down Word is determined to sell out its first headlining show at Starline on Saturday night -- even knowing that it's got steep competition over at the Save Mart Center.

But this funk-driven rock band that channels the energy of Rage Against the Machine has been doing a lot of things right lately.

Down Word recently played a showcase for record labels in Nashville, and played one of the best sets at Fresno's Re:FUSE local music festival.

We talked to frontman J. Martinez to learn more about Down Word, its Saturday night show and its plans for the future.

Saturday's show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $10, or $8 in advance at Boba Fusion. Down Word is also playing Nov. 19 at Babylon and Dec. 4 at Lucky 13.

Tell us how Down Word got started.

Our guitarist, Christian Jensen, started the band with a few friends and would play out at Diehardz Sports & Collectibles shop when they had their outdoor events. That's where I heard them and eventually tried out on vocals. Soon after that, we lost the original bass player and drummer, and brought on my friends Steve Tran on bass and Steve Warner on drums in fall '08 to complete the Down Word you see today.

What do you think makes you stand out from other bands in town?

Musically, we've been told our diversity and our close attention to detail is what makes us appealing. But in my opinion, it's our love and understanding of entertaining people. A little charisma goes a long way.

You guys recently did a showcase in Nashville. How did that go?

It went well. We are staying in close contact with a couple A&R reps out there and hoping that something will come out of it. We would also like to send a huge thanks to everyone who helped us make that trip possible.

Saturday will be your first time headlining Starline. What kind of tricks do you have up your sleeve for the show?

Aw, come on Mike you know I can't tell you that! When we hook up with D4D Music for a show it's always top notch, so all I can say is, if you have seen us play live before you can expect that and more. If you haven't seen us play live before, don't believe the hype ... come see it for yourself.

In exactly 11 words, sum up one of your shows.

The only thing powerful enough to generate 1.21 gigawatts of electricity.

When should people expect a Down Word album? What else is in the works?

We're going to finish up the year with a couple more local shows, then work on completing our debut album, "It All Comes Back Around Again." In February, we'll be going on a promotional tour with our good friends Subdue throughout the Western U.S. Then we're hoping to take about a month to prep for the album release, and get it in everyone's hands by late March or early April.

For music and more: Go to myspace.com/downwordmusic.

Know a local musician that more people should be familiar with? Send the who and why to Mike Osegueda, mosegueda@fresnobee.com.