Okay, I promised myself that the lead-in for this article would not talk about how cold it is here. But dammit: it’s cold! With that out of the way, let’s get deep into the rock show for this weekend. Club Underground was our new stomping ground for this season’s first round shows, and what a great place! Friendly people, great sound, and damn fine food upstairs. If you appreciate food the way I do, then you need to be certain to get here in February to check out the next week of shows. But I digress… Friday, December 8th Friday night popped off with an energetic band by the name of Error of the Gun. Aggressive vocals and balls-out guitars were the standing rule for these guys, and they didn’t disappoint. Next up to bat was Emergence Entombed, no relation. These guys possess a real, rock-solid sound with rapsy, powerful vocals, gripping guitars and driving rhythm to please any crowd. American-Blitzkreig took over the stage, dedicating their set to Dime and doing the dedication justice. Their blend of heavy metal and hard rock got the crowd’s blood flowing. Our first throwback band of the weekend, El Diablo, brought a lively crowd and an excellent stage presence reminiscent of the Ted Nugent and Van Halen shows, minus the Spandex. Great work from the guitar led these guys to infinity. Saving Heroes popped their live show cherry here, but according to the bass player, “We’ve been making love for years”. Their set was great, accented by humor (obviously) but not overdone. The vocals were consistently on-point, and the whole band’s sound was outstanding. Let’s hope the bass player survived the night. Friday night’s curtain closed following the funky antics of Penetraction. Their set was a mix of Mr. Bungle, Red Hot Chili Peppers and my underwear from high school… yes, that funky. The vocals were on point, the bass dropped bombs like Hiroshima, and all in all, it was a swell experience. Saturday, December 9th Saturday, we saw nine incredible bands hit the stage. What a night! Everything started off with Pleasant Street Conspiracy. They came with a powerful, upbeat, modern rock sound in the vein of 30 Seconds to Mars and My Chemical Romance. Passionate vocals and tight transitions made this band sound a hell of a lot bigger than a 3-piece! County 79 hit the stage with the teeth of a lion with “Alone Again”, and didn’t let up. The vocalist’s voice had the bite of Ani DiFranco and the flair of Gwen Stefani, and the bass and drums provided the perfect backline. Great job getting the crowd involved. Black Opal was next to molest the crowd, “bringing the sex & drugs back into rock & roll”. The guitars stung like bees and the 80s punk-Era vocals grabbed the crowd and held on for the whole set. The Green Sweaters grabbed the plywood next and stepped up with a solid set of original hard rock, and kept it rocking from the first song to the last. The third band in our “colors” group was Blue Felix, who’s solid American Punk with a nipple twist grabbed the crowd by the next and shook them for 25 minutes. The guitars shredded, the bass pounded and even the keys got a little hair on his nuts… Outstanding set! Wounded Minds brought the early 90s grunge movement back with a vengeance, with aggressive vocals and strong but simple guitar riffs. Friendly No One flipped the crowd on its back with their succinctly developed rock sound, encompassing elements from indie influences and harder rock alike. If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing them live, then shame on you. They rock harder than Gibraltar and keep the crowd excited throughout the set. The [M.F.] Stepchildren stepped up to rock next, and put on a great show. They vocals were stellar and the stage presence was unbeatable. Great transitions and solid teamwork (and a little help from Har