Three nights of diverse, original and rockin'' music came through Atlanta this past weekend at The Loft on West Peachtree Street. Local bands of all genres took the stage and competed for slots at Atlanta''s Earthlink Live in the Emergenza International Music Festival. Apocrypha opened up the weekend with intense screaming, a strong drummer and a nice use of effects. Marshall Seese, Creative Loafing''s best singer/songwriter, then stole the spotlight with pure rock''n''roll aided by a melancholy voice. Tin Roof stepped up and played a radio-friendly set including excellent composition in "Resurrection" and "Jessica''s Wings." Almost Heroes, one of tonight''s top two bands, performed a harder set complete with turn-tables and solid vocals. Misfortune 500 took the stage with a well-thought out set complete with intro. and outro. They had solid vocals, guitars and bass licks. The Carry-Ons never cease to amaze with their high energy punk-rock and contagious stage presence. Adagio changed the mood with a trio of vocalists singing in harmony and two keyboardist that know how to fill in the gaps just right! Heavy Mojo closed out the set, once again amazing everyone with their solid hip-hop rock performance, If these guys don''t have stage presence, I don''t know who does. They ripped it into a set that guaranteed them a slot at Earthlink Live this summer. Pointsixcents kicked off Friday''s event with a strong opener complete with excellent bass''n''drums and even stronger vocals. Beyond Tomorrow was up next also with an excellent drummer. They used harmonies and sweet vocalizations to aid songs such as "This One is For You" and "Follow You." Beyond Tomorrow will be performing on July 1st at the Earthlink Live Finals. The Amber Brooke Band, who have won numerous awards in the Atlanta area, kicked the night into being a true rock show with solid original compositions, vocals and a special performance of Led Zepplin''s "Immigrant Song" as a closer. Amber Brooke will also be performing at Earthlink Live on July 1st. Rusty''s Heroes followed with a rockin'' opener and hard-core presence. They stole the limelight with songs like "Dogwood", "Fall of December and "Trippin'' on a Hole." Like Linus was up next with a brand new guitarist, great composition and an excellent understanding of the power of dynamics. American Byproduct changed up the mood with a harder set that rocked the faces off the audience. Mercy Jones, a Christian rock group, closed out the evening with songs like "Demascus" and "Dead Man Walking." Saturday night was definitely one to remember. Not only did the competing bands rock, but the night was complete with a special BEST TOUR performance by Atlanta''s own Echovalve. Holding Whispers, an alternative pop group, opened up Saturday''s performances with excellent guitar solos, vocals and great changes. Langley followed with super piano, sweet harmonizations and a superb female vocalist. Opposing Force did something a little different. Speaking truth to power, these guys utilized a drum machine and powerful vocals to get their political points across to the audience. Echovalve showed everyone what a truly successful Emergenza band is all about. They jumped around, had perfectly thought-out solos and some of the tightest drumming I''ve seen in a while. They won the crowd over with new and old material alike. Can''t wait to see them again in Birmingham, AL and Columbia, S.C. soon. Sleepy Jack, one of tonight''s top bands, played a strong set complete with new bassist, great harmonies and sweet guitar solos. Nick Edelstein took the stage and brought things back a little with a rockin'' blues set. They let it all hang out with songs like "Sarasong", "Kentucky Sun" and "Tripping." Uknown Soul packed out the house and gave their audience the show they deserved. They unveiled their new singer who proved to fit right in. They had solid stage presence and great musicianship. Unkno