This past weekend’s shows at The Bitter End in Manhattan was a true gem. The Bitter End, nestled in the heart of the Village on Bleecker Street, is famous for its reputation for booking great music acts and this past weekend was no exception. Desdro kicked the evening off with a nice array of progressive rock and smooth tunes. The evening did however take an early unexpected turn when one of the members shocked the whole crowed and especially his girlfriend when he paused in mid song to present an engagement ring to her. Luckily she accepted, and the band continued rocking in true form. Next to take the stage was Lechery. These young lads played an energetic set full of teen angst. They had catchy riffs and interesting compositions. After that the young teenagers of Off Edge rocked the house with their Ozzy like rifts, fast guitar playing and ever so appropriate Bon Jovi cover of You give love a bad name. Though young, this trio showed what heart was all about and tore the stage up in true rock star fashion. After the true Jersey representation came All For Now. As soon as these boys took the stage, it was clear that it was all for now. In true Emergenza tradition these boys took their 25 minutes and rocked the house. Then too many men’s delight came The Pervs. This band consisted of three beautiful women and one lucky man behind the drums. Dressed in almost brothel like garb these girls showed that rock and roll is not merely dominated by men. Even the fact that these chicks were hot enough to set the stage on fire, did not deter anyone from listening to their thrashing licks. From there the stage seemed to take a completely different turn with the emotional set of Alex Bach. The beauty of this woman’s voice was extraordinary. This combined with her ability to tell wonderful stories and just paint a picture of words to the audience was quite the experience. Her emotion seemed to just permeate out from the stage and into everyone. I would not be surprised if some were left with tears in their eyes. Then once again the stage seemed to take a 360 with arrival of The Spines. I’m not sure if they intended to just send shivers down the crowd’s spine, but it seemed to me that by the end of the show they had reached right into everyone''s throat and ripped their spines right out of them leaving everyone dangling like puppets. The night started off with the gentle tones of The Kathouse Rhythm. It is always nice to mellow out with some great original acoustic songs accompanied with the beautiful voice of a woman. It was a wonderful way to start off the drunkest day of the year. With composition and grace, something that was not seen on the streets later that night. Next to take the stage was Athena’s Fury. To put it simply, these guys rocked the stage. Their music was full of thrashy guitar riffs and heavy breakdowns. After the fury presented by Athena’s Fury came the melodic tunes of Randy Niles. I promise this guy and his band have no trouble with the ladies. He too like The Kathouse Rhythm belted out beautiful and emotional songs that made you look within yourself with simple bliss. Was this really Saint Patrick''s Day? Taking the stage next was The Waffle Stompers. Now I have never seen anyone stomp waffles, but if someone was to take home the gold in this event, it would surely be these boys. After all the waffles were stomped Brick Klick Music Group romped the stage with authentic rhymes and original free styling. Backed by keys, drums, bass, and more drums these guys showed us what hip hop, rock and roll and the power of voice can do to the audience. If you were not mesmerized, you must have been in a coma, and if you were you most likely woke up during this set. Next up came the Jersey boys from the other side of the Hudson River, 9 Circle