The weekend went as smoothly as ever here in Boston, wait a minute, no, there was a huge freaking snow storm on Friday that threatened to ruin the show. But unlike rent and bills, snow can''t stop musicians from doing what they do best, which is rock! Thursday was a beautiful day however, and weather conditions were the furthest thing from anyone'' mind. Emergency Exit, regardless of their young and tender ages, played one mean set filled with aggressive metal, the likes of which most bands only dream of achieving. Serious props to them for being one hell of a great band to work with despite the fact they were only 16 and inexperienced, because I couldn''t tell from my end. Changing styles dramatically to acoustic rock we brought on the Chris Wilhelm Trio. Smooth vocals over Dylan-like guitar melodies caught the audience''s attention enough to catch a couple votes. Now Transmission was up next, and let''s just say they had a rough night. Vary Lumar had a more straight forward bass driven rock sound that had surf rock tendencies at points. Overall the music was a hit. Dann Russo and the Whisky was a bunch of brothers playing a full ensemble front-man rock show with catchy melodies and good song compositions. Chemist Camp reminded me of an L.S.D experience except not half as surreal or damaging. That''s a compliment if you couldn''t tell. Their sound was experimental and noisy, filled with layered guitars and buried vocals. Closed Casket was a metal band if the name didn''t tip you off. Horror Metal to be more specific. The singer''s vocals were so powerful I had to check and make sure my earplugs were still in. They were truly impressive. Closing the night was Three Nouns. They struck me as a poppy version of Sonic Youth without all the feedback, and a better sense of humor. In the end it was Chris Wilhelm, Vary Lumar, Dann Russo, and Closed Casket that pulled into the next round. Friday night started off with the funky instrumental sound of The Squad. Next was the western Mass. Representing Nol*Edge. Their thick and heavy alt rock definitely got some feet stamping. Skulltoboggan invented a new genre with their groove metal sound and crazy stage show. Cc40 wowed the crowd with some traditional oi punk covers and even some cool organ rock. Joe Turner and the Seven Levels crowded onto the tiny stage to spread some psychedelic rock around the room. Imagine if the AV club started a band and there ya go! Next up was one of the better hardcore bands I''ve seen in a while, One Less. Not only was the music great, but they were hilarious on stage. Tomorrow''s Remedy didn''t have the crowd, but their punk metal music certainly had me. In the end it was The Squad, Skulltoboggan, One-Less, and Better Life that pulled into the next round. Props Guys! Saturday turned out to be really eclectic. Lumin-R was a solid rock band with a female singer, and man, she had pipes! Nash Lane was a really cool experimental indie rock band that piqued my curiosity for sure. Move the Rabbit, an extreme metal band, started the set off with this quote, “ This song is about genocide. Pick a race and f*ck it up!” There sense of humor, though a little warped, was certainly not lost on me. My favorite of the weekend was Bad Jaime. There style was so poppy, yet unbelievably original. Keep an eye out for this band, they are AWESOME! Jonathan''s Distortion came on next killing it with a solid metal sound and energy stage presence. Throwback rocked the older crowd with a classic sound and a couple of covers. Ending the night was Jonas Complex who promise to be an incredible up and coming band, and they guarantee girls in halter tops at their shows. Where can you go wrong? In the end it was Move the Rabbit, Bad Jaime, Jonathan''s Distortion, and Jonas Complex that moved on to the quarter-finals. Congrats to all the bands on excellent performances!