Waking up from a long poisoning sleepiness I am scanning the heap of albums by bands taking part in Emergenza this year… waiting to be reviewed, upon the stereo shelf. You’ll bet my ears are ready, even if my hands are numb! So it is with great pleasure that I am dipping my pen into the inkpot (here in Oz we do not have ballpoints) for a new season of reviews. Here are four albums by bands who played in January in Wiz’s opinion. Let’s go to Washington D.C.: I listen to WORRY STONES’s album (the played on January 28th): oh yes, here comes good old rock and roll, well played, well performed, well produced. Well, let us say ‘the same old story’, but a good story indeed. Unfortunately all this happy-go-lucky plying and singing in major scale, which never leave a slot for doubt and sadness, nor make my heart pound. More, to tell, he truth, there’s nothing to laugh (like my colleague Nemo would say), but of course this is a personal matter! Of course rather than the light-hearted ditties like FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS, I CAN’T BELIEVE, LAND ROVER, I prefer one hundred times DREAMS’ psychedelic tunes, or I MIGHT dance ones, or also SALT SHAKER’s contry hints. Continuous double voices affect me as too much honey and jam and white chocolate mixed together in mouth: catch you with diabetes or make all your teeth fall down in one week! In all… pretty and good, but I’d rather be on a diet… Promoters of a less linear rock, CENSUS from Philadelphia (they played on January 23rd) submit their ten tracks. These are typical ‘songs’ in their shape which make room for several different musical influences, mixing modern sound, syncopated rhythms and samplings. on the other hand, anyway, their music risks to lose the thread and become incoherent, and quite disappointing in the end. It seemed to me that the singer’s voice (maybe not mixed properly?) does not fit the musical genre perfectly: it is too clear, and too little emotional… what a shame! Anyway this band can improve a lot, they have a big potential… and congratulations to the drummer! And in the end, let’s change the subject: with DEVINE NATURE (January 27th) from Washington DC it is pop-soul-dance which plays the master and the lord and makes everybody’s feet move. Their rhythms are fluent and catching, supported by drums and percussions with electric piano and organ that are the singers’ vocal evolutions ideal ambient. Easy listening is their creed, the sound and the arrangements are good… actually the song I loved less is LUV WILL KICK U, with its sudden upbeat. This is not a rock band, but DEVINE NATURE are worth of respect: I wish them not to loose their gorgeous power of invention. And here come a few illuminating words by Captain Nemo My dearest faithful, I listen to DEAD ON (Philly, January 25th) reading on their business card: original rock music. Astonishing! And I wonder: is this original to be meant as ‘initial’ or ‘imaginative’? because there is an abyss between the two! Dead on are sincere and enthusiastic, but… but… yes, in the end they play an epic and rethoric rock. The singer declaims, the guitarist fills every sinuous recess with riffs, embroidery, broken chords. he never stops, and I gasp for breath. This is not only intrusive, but also disappointing. Impetuosity can be good, but it is out if focus. Focus on ‘original’ rock and roll spirit! Have more fun guys! If you want to be the next band reviewed by our columnists, send your CDs to: “The Wiz of Oz” c/o P. Masala, Viale dei Colli Portuensi 110, 00151 Roma, Italia. or to: “Capitan Nemo” c/o M. Abisso, Via delle Scuole 8, 00060 Mazzano Romano (Roma), Italia. Click here for a complete schedule of the festival, the concert dates and the order of the bands playing each night in