After four years the residents of beautiful Wicker Park in Chicago are starting to know what it means when music starts to fill the streets in the early afternoon til the wee hours of the evening. Yes, boys and girls, that means Emergenza is back in town, making some noise from The Note, and no pedestrians or businesses are safe from the volume. Thursday, October 26 On Thursday October 26th, Annihilate kicked off the first set of the evening with some screaming guitars turned up to 12 and a left handed drummer that was alright with me. Though listed as a “Tribute Band” these young guys played their own original thrash metal songs that gave a great jump start to the evening. Next up was Ill-Natured, a foursome of ladies who refused to let the energy in the room drop for them. Don''t ever let anyone tell you that the fairer sex can''t rock as hard as their male counter-parts. I''m here to tell you they can and these girls were certainly no exception to that. They''ll be taking their heavy sounds to the quarter-finals. After Ill-Natured was a band with one of the longest names in history, Rich da Fish and the Get Up Get Down Boys. As the first band over 21 for the evening, these guys had no qualms on letting the crowd know they were having a jolly old drinkin'' time. Don''t be mistaken though, these guys definitely weren’t sloppy. They played a solid set of jammy modern rock songs that had a little bit of congas and a lot of thoughtful songwriting and grooves. What Rich da Fish and the Get Up Get Down Boys had in a big name, the next band House of Twang had in the number of people in their band. The 10-piece band was an overwhelming sight on The Note''s stage and had a wall of sound that engulfed the entire room. Mix up a little bit of funk, rock, hip-hop and a whole lot of soul in a blender and you might close to understanding House of Twang. With in the pocket grooves, some wailing backup singers, and a blaring horn section this band was nothing but tight and will be moving onto the quarter-finals as well. After House of Twang was Sons of E.D.. Otherwise known as Sons of Erectile Dysfunction, these guys changed it up a bit with turntables, bass, and guitar to create an experimental hip-hop sound all their own. With no vocals, their DJ let the turntables do the talking, quite literally, with some extended trippy spoken word vinyls mixed with some groovy bass and guitar. Their originality surely helped them get the nod for the Chicago quarter-finals. After Sons of E.D. was Ill Neil who had his own take on the hip-hop genre. He combined keys, guitar, turntables and smooth R&B singing with his rapping to keep the heads nodding in the audience. Last of the night was True Hidden Conspiracy. It was apparent that their fans had come to party and THC was there to help. They took the volume up a notch to close off the night with their catchy heavy rock songs that had the crowd singing and dancing along. Their energy on stage helped them take home the victory with first place and a slot in the quarter-finals. Overall it was a great night, and when I left the show the party was still hopping. Friday, October 27 The energy from Thursday carried over into Friday night with The Jacks starting off the evening. These guys weren’t even born in the days of classic rock but that didn’t stop them from reminding the crowd of the days of old. The Jacks style is reminiscent of the roots of rock’n’roll with great guitar riffs and wailing vocals. It was refreshing to see some young guys really write some great songs and play the with purpose. Next up was Art of the Flesh, the first of three metal bands for the evening. Their metal is full of aggressive energy and in your face vocals with some great heavy bass lines. The youngest band of the night, Estrogen was next but don’t let their name fool you, this wasn’t any standard girly<