The Emergenza music festival kicked off the semi-final round in St. Louis this week at The Way Out Club. The Way Out is a spacious venue with loads of character that is known for punk and the underground rock scene. Some of the styles that were brought to the stage for the festival were a welcome change from the norm for the Way Out regulars as many of them found some great bands that they had not scene before. The first night of the semis saw two bands get through to the final and a third that is worthy of mention. The first band that took the stage on Thursday was a group called SEMI-OK. A fun bunch of no-frills, hard drinking, straight-up rock guys that are about having a good time playing solid music. They bring with them a nice following of like-minded, partiers that enjoy their music as much as they do. The band that got the top spot of the night was a group of veterans to the St. Louis scene called SHATTERMASK. Their style is metal, but metal with excellent musicianship and stage presence, a band that knows how to play to a crowd. The drummer is extremely solid and the guitar player has a commanding presence on stage and lays down riffs that make the songs work. The bass player would steal the show with skills and techniques that rival anyone, anywhere, but their front man steps it up enough to keep some of the attention on him. He mixes rap with a little screaming, some great vocals lines, high pitch shrieks and enough acrobatics on stage to mistake him for an Olympic gymnasts. The third band that deserves honorable mention was a group called GOOCH RASH. This group is made up of a 15-year old, a 16-year old, and a 17-year old. The youngest of the trio does all the vocals, plays guitar and is not afraid to work the crowd. These kids would have won the night, if the decision would have been solely made by the musicians that played that night, because everyone of them gave their support and votes to this trio that I expect I will be hearing from again. The Friday night show also had two bands move through to the finals. GROUPTHINK is a band of solid musicians that play a brand of hard rock that goes beyond the typical chords and progressions. The rhythm section is very talented and plays with a lot taste and style that will never go unnoticed but doesn''t over power the rest of the band. The two guitars seem to put layer upon layer of chords and unique voicings over the top, as well as driving the harmonic force that makes their songs exciting. Their vocalist does the perfect job of mixing in great melodies that are simplistic and well matched in contrast to the more complicated chord structures of the band. The acoustic soul of the FUNDAMENTALS got the most support of the night. This is a band that makes you want to get up and dance no matter what style of music you like. Acoustic guitar reminiscent of Dave Matthews meets G. Love with great soul vocal lines and beautiful harmonies. The drum and bass is tight and funky and lays down grooves that help this group put together something really special. Saturday brought metal to The Way Out, which is definitely a detour from the usual, but with it came the largest crowd of the week. When SCORCHED ERTH took the stage the venue nearly erupted. Unique to the metal scene, these guys are a fury of, I hate to call it thrash, but thrash metal that is extremely tight. Despite the singer being sick enough that he should have been at the doctor or at home in bed, they played a fantastic set and won over a lot of new fans. They''re dedication especially showed through when the singer starting puking in the middle of the stage in between lines and never missed a word. The band that got the most votes of the night was BARE KNUCKLE CONFLICT. That''s right, the boys of BKC came out and blew up another stage in the semi-finals. These guys are taking their fun and energetic metal all over St. Louis and building a following that is going to be a force to