In preparation for this weekend I drank like a fish in Columbus. St. Patrick’s Day was Saturday, but we were celebrating all weekend long with some of the very best that Houston has to offer. And remember, kids- this is still the first round. Thursday night was really short, after losing several bands for various reasons, but the talent didn’t lack one bit. Houston finalists from last year Attached started the night with more than anyone expected, giving everything they had despite the small crowd. The vocals and harmonies sat beautifully in the lush seats created by the guitar and keys. The drums were tight and the whole set was outstanding! Stretching Madness, also vets of our inaugural Texas season, fired us up with some rock solid stuff. They had great stage presence, and some stellar guitar solo work. The drummer blasts the walls of boring rock drums to dust. Psychosis finished the night with a superb set. Great “togetherness” as a band and well-written original material was key for this group as they sailed through their set. On the flip, Friday saw the longest night of the weekend… at least in terms of the show. We saw eight bands hit the stage, beginning with Persian Lime. They had outstanding energy on stage, and lit the fuse on a firecracker of a night! It was great to have some vets from last season back, and they were a talented bunch for certain. Gruis Spectra took the stage next, after a long day of travel from El Paso, TX. They stepped to the stage and immediately showed why they won the El Paso and Albuquerque finals in last season. The vocals soared over the pop-rock-synth sound that is truly original! Even though my Spanish is sub-par, I was moved by the ebb and flow of their music. Now I strapped myself to my chair as Until Dawn took the stage. The lightspeed guitar work and slammin’ drums blew the crowd about ten feet back. Although they were a little rough from only having new guys for two weeks, they definitely earned their spot on the next round. Straterra melted our first faces of the weekend with their heavy metal sound. It was a truly intense experience! WhenInzurgo hit the stage, I knew the revolution had begun. They pounded at the crowd with vigorous, passionate lyrics and steady aggressive rock. 3WG a.k.a. Three White Guys impressed the folks out at FBI Rocks Too with some bad-ass, funky blues-rock. It was a hybrid of blues and dirty rock, with some incredible guitar work as well as awesome vocals. Nice touch with the Voodoo Chile cover. Guttercast was our seventh band of the night, fusing rock, jazz and funk with some percussive influence. They put on an outstanding show, entertaining everyone fully and impressing the socks off of Julius C from NYC, our special guest for Friday (more to come on that later). The night was wrapped by Another Run, who have grown exponentially since last season. The lead vocals came from the drummer, but even tied to the set his face sold the whole set. They got the crowd into it and played a slammin’ set! Saturday dropped 4 bands in the club to rock the house, and also KID:NAP:KIN from Boston (yeah, more to come). It was St. Patrick’s Day, and the crowd celebrated along with the bands. Androide started things off on a very original note, combining drum and bass electronica with the live elements of guitar, bass and drums. It was a wild set, and the early crowd at FBI Rocks Too really dug it. The Brian Pounds Band stepped up with acoustic and electric guitar melding perfectly under solid vocals. The set was fun and energetic! Life to Lifeless grabbed the stage with steel claws and really dug in. Their sound was metal with a melodic flair, shaking the ground and transitioning the night. Our last band of the night was Cerebro, who definitely earned a spot in the next round. The green-he