Thursday, November 2nd The seven bands that took the stage on Thursday, November 2nd rang in the start of the Emergenza Music Festival at The Velvet Lounge in downtown Washington D.C. The young punk guys of Break the Balence showed that age has no barriers with music as they kicked off the first round of shows. Soup’s Uncle, with their alternative progressive style and catchy riffs, had the entire audience talking about their set hours after they took the stage. With metal percussion and punk bass lines, SeeD''s At The SiLo put on an energetic show with the band only being formed about a year prior. Having opened for Stroke 9, Permanent Ascent blasted the audience with punk alternative. The guys of Zelos took the stage with flavors of rock and pop rock and surely kept the audience engaged and the front of the stage packed. Aphrodizia stole the show fusing ambient electronica with violin and sax. Front-woman, Yoko, had a Bjork-esque feel in her voice. Filtro ended the night being the only hardcore rock band making sure that everyone had their fill of rocking riffs and pure energy. Friday, November 3rd Hip hop band, Silent Tyrant made sure the second night started off on the right foot. Emerging from Reston, Virginia, 1101 brought memories of good psychedelic rock and solid musicianship. Jam Band, Band of Blue incorporated catchy sax with excellent talent on keys, kudos Shane. Being the most original band of the night, three-piece Root Deco had stylings of 60s rock meshed with sounds of American Indian song. Gus Basiliko of Wretched was clearly the best drummer of the night, educating the crowd on what true StonerRock is about. Donning matching suits, Free Lobster Buffet kept the audience engaged with their alternative rock style. Formerly, Dream About Angels, Half Empty had the crowd recollecting sounds of Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains. The Fif took the stage last but had the crowd dancing and jumping to every song they played that night. The lyrics were poetic and the vocals were unmatched. Saturday, November 4th With strong Thursday and Friday night performances, Snuggle kept things going by starting off strong with powerful riffs and amazing talents by lead guitarist Adrian Munoz. Hip hop band, Frestile had the audience dancing throughout their entire set including a rendition of Nirvana’sSmells Like Teen Spirit. Voted “D.C. Artist of the Year” by local radio Z104, Taylor Carson, put on a strong show with emotional vocals and catchy pop riffs. The Shadow Academy then took the stage putting a dark twist on pop punk rock. Cosine followed with elements of funk, rock, and soul. Though a little nervous at first, A Papier Mache Monster, gave a worthy performance of alternative rock. The guys of WhyteOut, normally using pre-recorded beats, adapted all their songs to a live drum kit and impressed their fans while showing complete devotion to their music. Sunday, November 5th Being only 16, 16, and 14, Brodan’s talents in the genre of jazz rock left the audience in awe. It’s great to see musicians of their age keeping jazz rock alive and well. Alexis George’s feisty vocals and solid pop rock sound made it clear to the crowd that women in rock truly rock. The Chariots followed with a rocklike reggae sound. Having being featured on ESPN, Wolfspider had no trouble putting on a rocking performance that left everyone wanting more. Ironically the last band to play, LastMan left us with hard rock sounds reminiscent of the 90s. Congratulations to all the preliminary winners.