Beautiful weather, energetic crowds and cold beer was the theme of the weekend, as twelve bands took the stage and entertained the masses. I was on hand to witness this outstanding weekend, and I gotta tell ya, it was awesome! The first of two nights of killer music started with Junkbash, rockin’ the house with true-grit American rock ‘n’ roll. The vocals were reminiscent of Sammy Hagar mixed with a little Chris Cornell. Great job from this group, and it was a great way to start the weekend. Userfriendly took the stage next, and laid out an impressive set of original instrumental jams. The keys, bass and guitar all seemed to spring from the same mind, and the drums kept it all together perfectly. Unknown Origin stepped to the plate and hit a home run with stellar vocals and a solid band behind the lead singer. Their brand of rock enticed the crowd at Ruby Tuesday. Lesson Learned played the teacher role with modern rock done right. The vocals went from pensive highs to guttural screams, and the music was passionate and they got the crowd on their feet. The fifth band of the night was none other than Camshaft. Their heavy rock was topped by a mix of Metallica and STP, with a taste of Texas metal. The guitar dropped gritty sounds and the band tore through a great set! The outstanding original rock sounds of Black Spyral Dancer wrapped this night in good fashion. The energy was unmatched on stage, and the crowd got into it as well. The sound was truly their own, and they rocked Ruby’s right! Saturday exploded with the sounds of Never Ending Conflict. The edgy vocals forced me to my feet, along with the rest of the crowd. They really jumpstarted the room! Dejavu stepped up next with a blend of Latino funk and rock, with a sexy splash of Salsa, putting bands to mind like Ozomatli and the Gypsy Kings. The vocals complimented one another, and the work from the percussion artists was truly amazing. Great all around sound and stage presence. Can’t wait to see these guys in the final! Blackcoin did not disappoint as well. Their blend of eclectic rock and reggae influences created a sound truly their own! The vocals flew and swayed as the band took the crowd on a psychedelic trip through their musical world. Morning Round kept the crowd rocking to their blend of many styles into an indie/country/alt rock mix of fun. The vocals were comparable to John McCrea of Cake. The sax was a nice touch, too! Fayettenam dropped a big, concrete block of rock on the stage, and proceeded to bust it into a thousand pieces. The vocals and guitar cut through like a bulldozer, and the rhythm section smoked as well. Great set from Fayettenam! The final band of the night was Clouded Figure. They rocked the crowd into frenzy with energetic, pure rock sounds and great action on the stage. The set was tight; the band was on-point, and the crowd at Ruby’s LOVED IT! The speakers swayed, the beer flowed and the cheers never stopped at Ruby Tuesday’s this weekend. The bands that moved on will be playing for keeps at the final, June 9th at Little Brother’s. Check out the schedule page, get your advance tickets, and rock your ass off! One Love,