The Semi-Final round of the Emergenza International Music Festival took place in Columbia, South Carolina this past weekend at The New Brookland Tavern. The bands were full of energy and rocked the faces of South Carolinians young and old. Mind Your Head kicked off the events with a solid rock set that incorporated excellent drum beats and great sounding vocals. Killeen then took the stage and performed a high energy Emo set complete with jumping, screaming and shredding. Just R Luck followed with a great performance that had the audience raging for more. Jemani is always impressive with the hip-heavy style rock they performed. It never ceases to amaze the audience when lead singer Ike stabs the stage with his rock sword as he closes out the set. Hollywood brings everyone back to the 80''s with a hair-rock sound that lures everyone into wanting to kick back, jump around and grow out the mullet. Omega Theory wooed the audience with a high energy rockin'' set complete with great vocals and strong rhythms. Midnight Train closed out the evening with a great Southern Rock performance. The sweet sweet vocals wafted through the audience as the guitar rifts left the audience wanting more. Chasing August opened up Saturday''s Emergenza Festival with a new line-up that seemed to work very well for them. The drummer was a great addition as was lead vocalist rockin'' on the bass guitar. Although a new name may be in the works, Chasing August still has that rock-sound that Columbians can''t seem to get enough of. Division by Zero don''t fit into any particular category, however, if you like diverse music and great lyrics, Division by Zero is something to keep you ears open for. Altanta''s Echovalve played a Best Tour showcase next and set the bar high for the other bands proving once again that they not only rocked Europe, but they could rock Carolina too! Cities Apart followed up with a solid rockin set complete with good vocals and tight bass lines. Sunnyblunder then took the stage and had an excellent use of effects, vocals and rhythms. Long Street had the audience raging as they rocked Columbia with their unique style and blend of vocals, stage presence and energy. Lindy Dobbins and the Red Velvet Manx of Charlotte closed out the evening with an excellent almost bluesy set. Lindy was the only female vocalist of this weekend''s events and she belted it out to lure the audience in. The Final round of the Emergenza International Music Festival, also to be held at The New Brookland Tavern, will take place in the weeks to come. Keep posted at www.emergenza.net for further details.