The final round of the Emergenza International Music Festival in Cleveland, Ohio took place this past weekend at Peabody''s. Home of the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, Cleveland is notorious for its influence on Rock''n''Roll world-wide. The local bands had a lot to live up to this weekend, and they didn''t do a bad job of representing! The Oquendo, a younger band, kicked off the evening with a very strong opener. They were full of energy and jumped around while performing a set similar to the sounds of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. A Phoenix Down was up next with a harder sound. They did an excellent job of mixing screaming and strong vocals to create an atmosphere of diversity and hard rock. FUZION was up next with some of the strongest vocals of the evening. They incorporated great instrumentation with strong musical skill. Amnesia, what a shame! No, really, these guys had a great attitude, great vocals and made grundge seem cool again. Omission, of Indianapolis, IN set the standard for what it takes from an "out of town band" to impress over 200 people. They had excellent vocals, great technical ability and were very professional. Irreality swept the evening. They were not only the favorite of the evening among the other bands, the judges loved them. They will be Cleveland''s representatives in Detroit in July. They had excellent stage presence, strong lead vocals and tight bass rifts. Coals and Ashes, although wasted, did a great job of pulling it together for their set. They shined in the harmonies department, and were the only band to incorporate several acoustic guitars into their set. Altered Ending also did very well with the judges. They were in second place at the evening''s events because of their excellent stage presence, strong technical ability and high energy set. Echoes from the Passed closed out the evening with a quality set that had the audience wanting more. They had unique sound and great arrangements. The season in Cleveland was successful. The best of luck goes out to Irreality as they move forward in the competition. Keep posted on details about the upcoming finals in Detroit, as well as booking with Emergenza for next season. Thank you Cleveland!