The weekend started off pretty slow at Emergenza''s second set of eliminatory rounds in Atlanta. With only three bands on Wednesday night things were looking pretty grim. We feared there would not be a show, until the bands proved that they could rock out the Vinyl on West Peachtree Street with or without a full lineup. Joshua Tillman''s band hopped on stage and soothed our worries with acoustic folk rock. American Byproduct stepped it up with energetic licks and a harder rock set. Holding Whispers closed out the evening with soulful original music and some uplifting covers. Thursday rolled around with a lineup of seven bands. Despite a few technical difficulties mid-set, Artizan managed to pull through with great vocals and drums. Whitewashed Life followed with an original high energy folkish rock set. State of the Art blew the audience away with an awesome stage presence and hardcore vocals. Watch out! Like Linus presented the crowd with some quite flavorful tunes. Lucan brought us back with a very diverse style. Becoming Wheels, a pseudo boy-band, had the ladies gathered at the front of the stage as they wooed with their keys and strong lyrics. Clan Destined, seasoned producers and deejays, as well as emcees created a new sound born from Hip-Hop culture and expressed through live elements. Daru Jones on the drums technically blew everyone out of the water. Friday night was full of diversity. Gravy was incredibly unique with a sound they call Metal Fusion. There were no lyrics, only obscure rhythms and creative tunes composed almost like rock symphonies. ElevenStandingStill, the official touring band of NOPI, set the standard for energy in the evening. With the crowd singing along to their intense lyrics, aided by a strong lead vocalist, they truly rocked. Red Shift Relic, four brothers and a friend from Germany, took the stage and harmonized like angels. Beyond Tomorrow, a band from Athens, GA, literally jumped on stage and didn''t stop jumping until they finished their set. They thrashed through their set of rock-based pop. Chilton and TexBukSex, the originators of original funk R&B, wrapped up the evening with a funk set that had the remainder of the audience in full fledged dance. If they aren''t funky, I don''t know who is! Saturday night was a raging success. With 9 bands performing the Vinyl was packed out! Chasing Katie opened the event with a really tight set filled with catchy tunes. Ethanol followed with unbelievably great vocals and moving lyrics. Skyland Point followed up with an extended jam and closed out their set with an acoustic guitar duo. Sorry No Ferrari shocked all with their amazing fingerings and jams. Maudlinash rose up with a theatrical performance complete with rock stances and in your face music. Cinetrope, the only band of the weekend with a female lead vocalist, ripped it up. Boy did that lady have a voice! United VIllains aced stage presence and belted out magnificent vocals. Bruce Leroy''s live Hip--Hop act had everyone talking. Calling All Stars closed out the weekend to a venue filled with their fans. People were singing along and groovin'' out to this new age rock group with sweet melodies and rockin'' guitar rifts. There''s one more set of Elimination rounds in Atlanta at the Vinyl before the top bands move on to play at the Loft for the semi-finals in Spring. Check out www.emergenza.net for more details.