Thursday, January 18th This snowy weekend in Albuquerque started out with No Party System, an instrumental four piece noise band, which begs the question, “who needs vocals when you have a fife?”. Sound Assassin followed with a very raw ska-punk set reminiscent of Op Ivy or Dropkick Murphy’s. Taking the show into another direction, Grants based Zagadka took to the stage with their experimental indie influenced sound. Though plagued by technical problems, their attention to dynamics and intuitive songwriting skills set the bar for the night. Kev Lee and the Uprising closed the show with a hip-hop-reggae fusion not often heard in the desert cities of the Southwest US. Professional in both preparation and performance, KL&U’s many members combined into a sound that is both soft and easy to listen to, but edgy enough to keep the crowd interested. Friday, January 19th El Paso based Stinky Pinky kicked off Friday night’s show, with a hip-hop-rock fusion. Random Order followed with a sound and stage presence that I’ve come to expect. Pairing aggressive, but dynamic music with melodic soaring vocals is a formula that has worked well for them in the past, as it does now. Blissful Destruction took to the stage and made it their own with fast and balls-out sound and stage presence that left most of the crowd reeling. Inner Genes followed this up with a more downbeat sound, weaving Creedish vocals with dynamic, effects laden melodies. Unusual Content topped the show off, with their usual combination of heavy, mechanical, industrial metal, scratching dj, and 3 front men that know how to draw the crowd in. Though they are a serious band, they are not ones to take themselves too seriously, and this casual stage presence plays right into the crowd. I have seen hundreds of bands live, but until this Friday, never had I seen a front man give a shout-out to the cook while sucking down chicken wings mid-set. Saturday, January 20th Pay Me Porcelain eased us into Saturday’s showcase, with a combination of indie-esque rock, matched with a very dry delivery of their front man’s self-indulgent slam poetry. Hate Engine broke the crowd’s rigidity with a blistering but dynamic hardcore set. Dawn of Destruction followed with a more classic metal sound. Dead Mary took to the stage with a heavy, but less shred-oriented sound. Anything But Fifty followed with a more traditional hardcore set. Second year veterans Misjudged took the stage with the technical skill and stage presence I’ve come to expect, although a recent lineup change left them short of material. Baked brought it down a notch from face melting metal solos to straight ahead punk rock. Taking the show into an entirely different realm, Phocus were definitely the crowd pleasers of the night. Their soul/R&B sound was music to our ringing ears. Their thumpy and bottom-heavy rhythm section held it down, while dual keyboardists and a solo guitar filled in the melodies behind an array of soaring gospelesque vocals. Keeping on the lighter side of things, power trio, The Wake finished the show off with a soulful and technically intriguing mix of rock and blues. Though blues-rock is probably the best way to describe this band, they possess a je ne se qua and a dark tone that separates them from the rest of the genre.