Portland. What a city. With fabulous art, culture and music this place is so cool that one hardly notices the fact that it is raining all of the time. Despite rainy and chilly nights this past week’s Emergenza Semi Final shows were pretty good. Happy Easter to all! Now who is ready to leave Peter Rabbit behind and rock out!?! Short Fuse jumpstarted the events with a punk set that was tight and on-point. Days of Dreams then took the stage with an alternative-rock set that incorporated tight guitar rifts and great vocals. The Brutes, a group of young spunky dudes, then stepped up with an energetic alternative-rock set that had the place on fire! Noregard jacked things up with a metal set that had heads banging and the audience jumping. Death By Association then played a hard rock set complete with tight solos and a strong rhythm section. Chaos Underground closed out the night with a mind splitting metal set that had music lovers wanting more. Kings for a Day kicked things off Monday with a unique pop-punk sound that was completed by a great stage presence and strong lead vocals. Revolution Radio then kicked the show into high gear with a rock set that was innovative and original. North of Skidmore followed with thick rhythms and great guitar work. RIA had the crowd going wild with their alternative rock set. They had an excellent stage presence and great lyrics. Record of Life closed out Monday night’s set with an alternative indie sound that was inspiring and professional. They had incredible vocals and excellent guitar solos. Fallback Farewell opened Tuesday’s semi-finals with an emo set that included strong vocalizations, well written lyrics and a level of energy hard to top. The Sindicate followed with a grungier sound and had a great drummer, strong vocals and an all-around good presence. Pass Margo was quite impressive with their rock trio that took a unique take on music. With an excellent rhythm section, strong vocals and an out-of-this-world guitar player who soloed at times with a beer bottle, these guys are not to be missed! It Doesn’t Matter then stormed the stage with an alternative-rock set that had the crowd on their toes. They had some great original songs, and threw in a Sublime cover as well just to stir things up a bit. Academy closed out this week’s events with an aggressive rock sound that incorporated strong lyrics with amazing vocals. Technically these guys were on! As the rain continues to fall, and spring blossoms in this intriguing city the Finals in Portland are coming up, and anyone who wants to join in the festivities only needs to go to Emergenza Magazine for details about the show. Portland has already displayed some great talent, only to be magnified at the upcoming final round in June!