oh, hell yeah. San Antonio was the scene and Reptilez was the host for the second and final week of first round shows. The crowd was enthusiastic, the Superbowl fans were patient, and most of all the bands were great for the weekend. Let’s get right into it! Doom to Bloom started things off perfectly with their exciting blend of unique rock, sounding almost like Muse meeting Radiohead. They had great vocals, backed by good work from the keys and synth. Nothing More had a great mix of everything, mixing unique instrumentation with 4-man bass solos and passionate vocals. The Uptown Creepers did a great job of covering some extra time for the festival, and brought some excellent horns to lead their ska punk (aka Skunk) sound. The night was capped by a performance from The Others, bringing hip hop with guitar flair. Their R&B soulful sound was pushed forward by some great programmed beats as well as live drumming. Friday started with Rhyme Mind Theory. Their blend of hip hop/funk/Latin music was truly refreshing, led by a great intricate vocalist with great stage presence, as well as nice keyboard and trumpet work. Red Mary was straight ahead alt rock, although they threw in some great acoustic stuff as well. ’87 Caprice came with soulful, jazzy vocals and a very talented saxophonist. The next band, Shallow Grave, came full-force with face-melting metal, punching a hole though my chest and taking no prisoners. Finally, Allstar Transit took the stage with aggressive vocals and a strong pop punk style. Empyrean started off Saturday night with very intricate guitars and great stage presence. Demize hit the stage next, rockin’ the house with guttural vocals and strong guitar and vocals. The third band of the night, Neglecting Toby brought great original music backed by a tight rhythm section. Their style is definitely hard to pin down! Kaos played an excellent metal set, bringing a lot of energy to the stage. Saturday ended with Of My Redemption, bringing speed metal with an emo touch, led by passionate and strong vocals. The final night of first round shows was started by Point five-O, with nice vocals and a great punk sound. Staynd Glass hit the stage second, showcasing an excellent young, female vocalist, backed by some great vocals. They reminded me of Evanescence. Drop Point showed us their original American grunge sound, reminiscent of an early Pearl Jam sound, capped by great vocals. The weekend was wrapped by Death Wish’s pensive industrial metal, showing us a good mix of styles. San Antonio has some great original music, and is yet an untapped resource. Don’t miss your opportunity to hear what I hear, as the Christmas song goes… see you next round! One Love,