Thursday, March 1st This weekend in Seattle had a rather rough start with Timod opening the event. This rock trio (and sometimes acoustic duo) showed good songwriting skills, but suffered from an awkward shyness and a lack of material. But this only paved the way for metal band Severage to show how it’s done. They were a good band musically, and it was apparent to all that they love being onstage. 3-piece punk outfit Harsh played next, and though a bit uncomfortable at first, put on a good show nonetheless. Up next was a band known as They Come in Swarms. In despite B-movie-esque name, these guys (and girl) were one of the best stage acts I’ve seen all year. With a solid sound and stage presence, this band is the kind of band that makes people want to start a band. Ozzmodiar followed with an A.C. type grindcore set (sans bass player) that scared (and possibly scarred) many and enticed the rest. Metal band Miles of Misery definitely proved to be the crowd pleasers of the evening, closing this show with a bang. Friday, March 2nd Guerilla Mind Society opened the second night in Seattle. GMS really reinvent hardcore by adding a progressive and dynamic element that breathes new life into the genre. Sylo were up next, and started strong with an all-instrumental guitar heavy tune a la Mastodon. Though initially impressed, their set from then on was plagued by technical problems and a lack of a tuner on stage. Eventually devolving into the world’s longest medley of pop-rock hits, this band showed that they have A LOT of potential, but need to hone their skills and find direction with their band. Frankfurt 11 brought it all back together, with a straight up rock and roll set, complete with women’s undergarments flying onstage. Sea Jayne Trip was up next, and kept this momentum up with a solid rock set (not to mention a few off color jokes) that reminded us what rock shows were like before everyone felt a need to interweave their socio-political commentary into their music. Though definitely a party oriented band, they certainly displayed comfortibility onstage and with their instruments, and were one of the more experienced and professional bands that I met in Seattle. Open Rebuke closed out the evening with a solid performance, and great interaction with their crowd, not only while playing, but between songs as well, showing how to keep the crowd’s attention focused on the band. Saturday, March 3rd Donning scuba gear and other various affects, I was truly surprised to see Jack Havoc rock as hard as they did. Though plagued by a few technical hiccups (blown breakers) they even made the most of this interruption, talking with the crowd and keeping everyone drawn in sand whipped into a frenzy throughout the down time. Prisom followed with a post adolescent emo set. This band, again, has quite a lot of promise, but was plagued by sloppy technical skills and out-of-key vocals throughout their set. With Scars to Prove followed with a metal set that again set the high water mark for the evening. She Chose Down followed up with a dynamic and inventive indie sound. Tarnished was up next, with an early metal sound a la Bon Jovi. Though not technically a band in the classic sense of the word, NNC brought the show around 180° with a theatrically oriented hip-hop set. Closing out the weekend, New Mexico natives Inphusion really made the show their own, subtly flaunting not only their musical skill, but also their sex appeal, ensuring that all eyes were on the stage.