Thursday November 30th The last day of November brought out some great, young music for the 1st round of Emergenza in Phoenix. From the first group the desert city proved to be just as diverse as the rest of the nation. First up, Shaky and the Rubber Band, a driving funk band with a little punk at the core. Young but musical these guys even had a saxophone to compliment and entice the crowd at Last Exit. Up next Unbroken Covenant brought some hard rock musicians and an energetic lead singer to keep the attention of the crowd. Such energy and stage presence made for a hard act to follow but Liquid Revolution was up to the task. More great energy, a big sound, tight musicians and good dynamics got the crowd cheering even louder for this Phoenix based band. The true metal bands had yet to play until both Dopamine and Lung Buster got on stage. These two bands love the music they play and even had guys from other bands listening 5 feet from the stage with hands in the air and heads banging hard. Up next was our first hip-hop band of the night: The Smob brought old school rap with electric drums, live DJ, male and female vocals and a do everything harmonica and flute player. Lastly, Phoenix heard a polished and mature So-Cal sound from Idyllistic. A good band for the crowd to jam out too, the first night ended with loud cheers and four solid bands moving on to round two. Friday, December 1st Friday December 1st brought us a new month and new crowds looking for the next great band of Phoenix. Shades of Silver gave us our first female vocalist of the weekend; her cutting vocals and the bands powerful rock melodies filled the room. One of the best surprises came next from William, a quartet who understands that less is more. Beautiful melodies and warm harmonies that I’m sure will have people interested in the New Year. Vendetta brought back the rock with an old-school flavor. Their lead vocals were strong and set the tone for the rest of the band. There’s no better way to finish the night than with a rock-a-billy band from Prescott. These dudes got the attention of everyone in the room even from the sound check. From the flames on the upright bass, to the guzzling of PBR, these guys love to perform and make fans from any genre. Another solid night at the Last Exit with one night left. Sunday, December 2nd Sunday December 2nd started and ended with a night of various rock bands. Up first, young rockers Cherish the Crown gave a solid 25 minutes of music. They were first band to give us a more progressive rock sound, but also incorporate more indie-type vocals. These guys will have a lot to look forward to. A quick jolt of metal from Diluted brought out the hard-rockers in the audience and then it was on to the youngest guys of the night. Whiskey Fits is a highly energetic and highly entertaining punk band: very mature in their sound and stage presence despite their age. A great number in the Last Exit audience will be looking forward to seeing them perform once again in the second round. Another band to check out in the second round in Phoenix is Among citizens. Another strong three-piece with jazzy vocals and fluid blues/funk/rock music to back it up. Keeping with the young theme Finding Apathy took the stage with a penetrating sound and a great performance. A quick glance and you’ll miss the maturity of their playing and their love of playing live. Following those young rockers was Merkaba. Not only were they best musicians of the night, but they were also the only pure instrumental band of the competition. The second round will be very diverse and eclectic because of Merkaba. To finish off the night another surprise for the weekend was Mighty in the Earth. An old school hard rock band that nailed the vocals and music like they had been on world