Officially, the Emergenza festival has come to a new city! Colorado Springs, Colorado played host to the world’s greatest music festival for independent artists. A small but stubborn music scene, Colorado Springs tried to bury the weekend in snow, but alas the bands kept the music loud and the crowds impressed. Thursday, January 11th Numero uno was a very solid hard-rock band named Author. While the band still needs polishing, it was a very energetic and engaging performance. Many in the crowd will be looking forward to Author’s big sound. To be honest there is no true sound that Colorado Springs is known for and the success of this weekend is due to the creativity of the performers on stage. The Hot Finks gave a unique and positive set for the entire 25 minutes. A fusion of some groovy Hendrix-Chili Pepper’s sounds made for a very entertaining show. All three members shine and blend very well with each other. Out of Time gave us some more mellow sounds, some pop-rock music with passionate lyrics. Considering the current lineup had only been together a week, they definitely proved they belong in the Colorado Springs scene. It wouldn’t be an Emergenza show without some metal and Recondite did not disappoint: a big crowd was poised to thrash and these dudes didn’t mess around. I really appreciated these guys being so great to work with and respectful of the other bands. I hope everyone else saw it too. Check them out in the Colorado Springs finals. Lost in Motion was young, energetic and showed potential. Hope to see them next year. Silence Speaks was definitely one of the most talented bands for Thursday night. A well-rounded sound with a good front man and lead guitarist. And finally, the crowd favorite was The Wheel. These guys raised the bar for the entire weekend. A great front man who happened to be a pretty good guitarist and a bass player as good at the saxophone as he was at the bass literally had the crowd wanting more. Very stylish as well. Friday, January 12th More snow for Friday also brought out the most eclectic night of music. Cephalophile brought back the metal to The Union Station. Very metal and energetic, good interaction with the fans and good stage presence. These guys should be back at the club very soon. Keeping Sanity brought us the Emo and more young rock. These guys braved the elements and brought a loud, high energy sound to the club. These guys had a lot of fun and picked up some new fans in the meantime. Check them out in the finals in April. The Glass Gentlemen was the first Electronica band that I had ever scene in this competition and their fans went crazy with anticipation. They started a little slow but quickly found themselves. Also included some visual displays with their set. They even played an encore performance later that night for the entire crowd. Saturday, January 13th Saturday gave us more snow, a great crowd but some up and down performances. Commerce of Cadavers gave their best for a young and eager metal band. These guys need a little more time on stage and a more interaction with the audience, but it is cool to see their enthusiasm for performing. Iillyad turned out to be a little bit of a hybrid. Haunting vocals with some pretty intense lyrics, with just one guitar and bass making up hard rock band. A little re-working and these guys will have a pretty unique product. The Narrow Gate brought back some good old rock and roll. This band consisted of 14-16 year olds and they have a lot of potential. For now they will have to look forward to the finals of Colorado Springs! The Shady Rumor was the only punk band of the weekend and like some of the other acts with more experience these guys might be one of the only true punk bands in the Springs. Lastly, Hughes came with the most professional set of the weekend. Great