This weekend’s shows at The Hook were awesome. We had three straight days of high octane bands vying for their spot in the semifinal. As always the friendly staff at The Hook hosted these bands and made them sound great. Friday night started out the weekend with Ratay playing first. They breezed through their set flawlessly as they serenaded the crowd with their mellow grooves and catchy classic rock riffs. Sound Frontier played next and picked up where Ratay left off; continuing their set and adding their own unique blend of funk and blues. Surface took the stage next and changed up the mood a little bit with their melodic rock sound. White Noise continued with the melodic rock hooks that Surface started with. BR and Timebomb came and dropped the bomb onstage with their explosive hip-hop set. These guys and girls stole the night with their unique sound filled with untypical instruments. Chiba-Ken closed the night out and made sure we all went home with our necks aching and our ears ringing. These dudes rocked everyone’s brains out with their brutal riffs and powerful breakdowns. Saturday night started out with Apophenia and although their guitarist showed up halfway through their set, these guys still held it down and rocked the house. Year of Confession took the stage and whipped the crowd into a fury with their technical proficiency and metal know-how. Aeodema took the stage next and wowed everybody with their trance instrumental rock filled with unique solos and effects. Crave the Air took the stage next and had the audience craving more and more. These metal masters pulverized everyone’s ears and they loved it. And as always, Steve Lieberman the Gangsta Rabbi had jaws on the floor as he belted out some of the craziest sounds we had ever heard. No other band could have two bass players, only the most gangsta of rabbis can pull that off! Sunday night was filled with the most amount of pissed off teenagers I have ever seen! Myraid took the stage first and had the girlies screaming for more as they hammered through their emotionally fueled, high energy set. Whiskey Bravo can on next and impressed everyone with their bluesy sound and great solos. Where Life Takes Us played next and although their drummer was stuck in a Mexican jail cell, these guys whipped a fill in drummer into shape and played a killer show. Neutral Ground played next and had everybody dancing with their funky riffs and feel good grooves. And as always, A New Shade of Black played a great set and managed to whip the crowd into frenzy while memorizing us with some great keyboard sounds. They really had the crowd wishing for more.