The week-end kicked off with a few bands battling the snow to get to the venue and rocking the audience with a dose of good old fashion live rock. Super Bowl? What’s that! Thursday night Undefyed started the set with promise to rock …and rock they did. Delivered a scorching set with an incredible drummer on the kit. A Month Till Forever was next and they also rocked away the brave crowd (brave ‘cause the snow made it almost impossible to drive anywhere). They were very solid. An Advent Light did a good job as well considering the “worrying about the drive back home” type of crowd. Holyfire was next and these boys (and a girl at keyboard) were a very deep band with words to share. The crowd was smitten and they went on to the next round. Up next was the amazing Julius C. These boys were the special guests from NYC and they showed NY attitude with a live show that no band could touch. Last season’s 2nd placed national finalists were “spot on” and absolutely magic. A fine display of funk, rock and soul mixed with energy, technical skill and pure showmanship. Truly brilliant. To close off the night Z Exit did themselves proud. A great performance with songs to match. Watch out for these boys in Hartford. Friday we had more bands on the bill competing and the night kicked off with Dan Daniels and Your No Good Buddies. Old style country-rock music with melodies reminds us of the Kinks. Great show, great singer. Tragically Said… was a 3 piece that rocked! Incredibly energetic. Just needed to work on the crowd a bit more. Pushboxx was up next and you could tell these boys were experienced. The fans knew the words and the boys could work the crowd. Very professional. Stone The Hostess (or STH) came out and delivered some of the best tunes of the weekend. Loyal fans as far as 5 hrs away drove in the snow to get to see these boys do their thing: they did not disappoint. Great. Up next, Cosmos Sunshine Band. They displayed a rare “sense of entertainment”. A ripping guitar player with songs and voice to match. A second guitar player playing percussions and making interesting sounds with all sorts of African rhythm tools. Simply fantastic. Loved it. Black Velvet closed of the Friday night with a set of covers! All covers! The crowd was so disappointed they started heckling and booing…sorry boys. With a full night of music ahead on Saturday, you could feel the anxiousness build around each band as they waited for their time to shine. Jack Styles And The Mad Pop Tycoons rocked out with good solid tunes. A little work needed on drums, but overall good show. Very original to say the least. Faded Inc’s presence was felt not only musically but also by the cheers given from the audience. Great support crowd. Don’t let the ages of Scarlet Fade fool you, though all under 17 with the drummer being only 10 years old, these guys rocked out. With catchy pop tunes Scarlet Fade already has a following and a good promotion set up. These kids could really go far with some guidance. Talented and already professional at such young age. The guitar player was having her birthday tonight so it was an occasion to celebrate. Well done. When No One’s Watching dosed the audience with some heavy rock, good riffs. Last Ride On Death’s Wings (formerly mary kissed kerry) was the heavier band on the night and showed the crowd what volume means (up to 11). The Odds was an experienced 4 piece with talented players, competent songwriters and great performers. Very good band indeed. These Furious Days was a good rock band with decent tunes but need to work on their performance still. The Ebb And The Flow closed out the night with great hip-hop. The back up vocalists added to the full sound of the band and the keyboard player was making funky sounds with his toys. Great live band. Very entertaining. E