For several thousand screaming rock and roll fans, Sunday's Locobazooka United We Rock Festival, featuring Alice In Chains, at the Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts will be a smorgasbord of more than 60 famous and not-so-famous bands.

For a select number of local rock musicians, however, the annual festival represents a chance to step into the spotlight at one of the nation's foremost music venues -- and possibly rub shoulders with such bigtime acts like Buckcherry.

`` Performing at the Tweeter Center is something that looks really good on your resume,'' said Andrew Carcerano, gui tarist for the band Escape to Everything which has ties to the Attleboro area and will be performing on Loco's main stage.

Wider exposure

Carcerano said the band, which has appeared at most of the Boston area's major concert rooms including the Avalon and Paradise Rock Club, will widen exposure for the group which is launching its second album and its first tour this fall. The band includes Mansfield guitarist Matt Wein along with Carcerano, lead singer Mike `` Fred'' Nota, drummer Mike Scapicchio and bassist Steve LaGrassa.

Escape to Everything won't be the only local band living out a dream on Sunday. There's Lucid Sky, also with Mansfield roots; Shavahawk, based in Foxboro, and veteran Attleboro rock quartet Final Hour.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Locobazooka, begun by rock promoter Dan Hartwell whose first show con sisted of a few local bands play ing at the Northboro Fish and Game Club. It's also the first year that the festival has been held at a first-rank music arena.

`` We're very excited about coming to Mansfield and the Tweeter Center,'' said Hartwell whose festival has been a step pingstone for a number of up and coming bands on their way to the top. It has also been a showcase for some of rock's most recognized names, includ ing Limp Bizkit, Godsmack, Kid Rock, System of a Down, Stain'd and Disturbed.

Local musicians look to the festival as a chance to reach a larger audience -- as well as a rare chance to share the spot light with established super stars.

Bands are chosen from among thousands of online sub missions, Hartwell said. Local musicians are also expected to buy blocks of tickets to the fes -tival, which they can re-sell at profit.

`` Something like this is a dream for all of us,'' said Shava hawk bassist Frank Slattery, who met the other members of his quartet while playing foot ball at Foxboro High School. Slattery said members of the band are huge fans of Alice in Chains.

`` That was the kind of band you always wanted to see but never got the chance,'' said Slat tery. `` Now to think that we're playing at the same event with them, right down the street, it's hard to believe.''

Shavahawk, which is playing at Locobazooka for the second time, is currently working on its maiden CD.

Locobazooka is also a step up for Lucid Sky, which has been playing in smaller clubs in the Providence and Worcester areas. Lucid Sky bills itself a diverse rock band whose reper toire runs from high-energy rock to acoustic ballads. `` We're hoping to gain a little more exposure by getting in front of a lot of people,'' said band member Cory Paza who said the band's first CD is cur rently in production. `` We'd like to see it give our CD release a push.''

While participating rock bands are happy to bask in the reflected glory of major acts as well as have an opportunity to showcase their own talent, the aspiring rockers are far from star-struck opportunists.

Like many rockers, the fourpiece Final Hour has labored in the vineyards for years playing clubs ranging from Pawtucket's KC's Tap to Boston's Hard Rock Caf'e9 as they searched for their preferred sound. The band recorded two studio albums and appeared at Locobazooka once before, in 2003, when the festival was held at Fitchburg Munici pal Airport.

In 2005, the band obtained backing for a major studio pro ject. Members say they're excit ed about their soon-to-be released album, `` Unseen.'' The group recently tried out several of the new cuts during a warmup gig in a show at The Black stone rock club in Cumberland.

`` I can't wait to play `em,'' said lead guitarist Andy James, who said band members hope fans will be favorably impressed. Final Hour also includes lead singer Caleb May ben, drummer Rob White and bassist David Foster.

Escape to Everything, mean while, is hoping that this year's Locobazooka will mark a com ing-of-age of their band. Already successful at major Boston clubs, the band releases its sec ond album Aug. 29 and has secured distribution through Strawberries and local Newbury Comics, Carcerano said.

The group's maiden tour of the East Coast and midwest states is scheduled for this fall.

On the Web: www.locabazooka.com; www.finalhourband.net; www.lucidsky.org; www.myspace.com/escape2everything; www.shavahawk.com.