Friday, August 8th, 1:00 a.m. - I’m leaving, or rather, I’m about to leave Turin to head up to Rothenburg ob der Tauber for the final stage of the Emergenza Festival, the Orient Express of Emerging music that, like all the other years, is pulling into the last stop after a very long haul, travelling through 12 countries and 54 cities this year. I had better get a move on because the live performances start early, at about 3:00 p.m., and I can’t miss a single one, otherwise how am I going to write this article? It is going to be a road-trip by moonlight, me and my inseparable little car, to avoid getting stuck in traffic, and even more importantly, to save myself from the scorching heat that has engulfed our planet this summer. The journey through the Alps goes quite smoothly and without any upsetting surprises. Fortunately I even arrive a tad early, just enough to freshen up and change clothes before rushing down to the stage area… The feel of a party is hanging in air in Rothenburg… ohhh yes, this musical revelry is undoubtedly going to turn this otherwise quiet little Bavarian town upside down. Stretching back through time to the Middle Ages, the town has plenty of stories and secrets to share with its visitors. The historical center is like something right out of a fairy tale, there are even “chocolate” houses like in Hansel and Gretel… A little before the town, you can go down into the mouth of the Tauber, which isn’t a dragon, but a river, and it’s here where the musical arena is set up, with twin stages and an endless number of stands… T-shirts, pizzas, hot dogs, necklaces, second hand clothes… there’s something for everyone!!! Parking is a mess because there is the camping area just twenty meters away, and the road is covered with people. Alright, finally made it, in prime position to enjoy the show as soon as it starts. The stage layout is such that the main stage and the Emergenza stage are right across from each other, to allow thorough enjoyment of both, without having to waste even a second changing positions. While people are starting to find their places, the first notes of this intense music-packed three day weekend start ringing through the air. I hope that they might even carry far enough to reach the ears of someone who counts… Backstage with Emergenza the talented and lucky bands who have made it this far are cheerfully fraternizing, of course they don’t always understand each other on account of the language differences and the rivers of beer that they down non-stop… Three days “on the road” and someone’s life could even be changed, making a dream become reality…making a living with music!!! It is Sunday afternoon by now, the time has flown between riffs and solos, the game has been played…and now it is time to give out the awards to those who knew how to set themselves apart from the rest, I assure you it was a downright battle that held the rapt attention of the jury right up to the very last minute. And the final verdict? Coming in at third place, truly outstanding, two bands: NO RADICAL CHANGE from Livorno, Italy, and LA SUITE MOSQUITO from Barcelona, Spain, both interesting and suggestive with good compositional and technical foundations shining through. In second place DEAD BY CHOCOLATE, from Bologne, Italy, incredibly powerful and intense, with vibrating harmonies. The sunset gives way to twilight, leaving the mountains dramatically outlined in chiaroscuro against a dark blue sky. The moon peeps out to enjoy the show from her bed of stars, as the Cardigans take the stage, undisputed headliner for the Taubertal Open Air Festival, and the voice of Nina Persson gently rocks us towards the end of the evening, when the moment has come for NERVOUS NELLIE from Stockholm, Sweden, to give an encore, because they are the incredible winners of the Emergenza Festival 2003, the ones who have hipnotized the jury with their ideas and ability to capture the audience’s wholeheart