If you have never had the privilege to attend a show at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Pittsburgh, you are missing out. The sound is spectacular, the lights very cool, and the room simple spectacular! They do a ton of incredible shows. G-Love was in town the night before we started, for instance. Speaking of starting… We started this weekend with some serious contenders for the title! Half Past Yesterday kicked it off in style, with a homebrewed mix of Green Day and Blink 182. The vocals were tight, and the harmonies were on point, and the songs are radio-ready. Excellent job on the keys in “Rockstar”. The Warren Gulden Trio came with a solid, funky set of original music. The sound was a mix of influences, waging war on a sound all their own. I think I heard Les Claypool singing and a bit of Psychafunkapus in there, too… Disaster Front fired up the crowd with a mix of aggressive vocals and powerful music. The sounds were torrid and strong, and the crowd reacted with enthusiasm here at Mr. Smalls. Lime Lite rocked the crowd with superbly done original rock. This was a mix of American-punk and SoCal influence, and went from anthemesque rock to an edgier punk. Nice work going from speedy tempos to slower action. The heavy rock sound of Shattered burned up the stage with powerful lyrics and stolid guitar work. They worked the crowd well and put on an outstanding set! Absolute Malice took us to “Another Dimension” with their metal set. The vocals were intense, and the band put on a balls-out performance. Splitsound rocked the house with a diabolical mix of modern and hard rock. The vocals were solid, the bass driving and the drums powerful. Friday the 13th… dun dun dun dunnnn….. Yeah, whatever. The High started the night with a party band sound that got the crowd dancing and ready to go for the long night ahead. The style moved around from rockabilly punk to dub to straight up rock. Great diversity and stage presence! The Daily Catch hit it next, bringing a rock-solid three piece to the front and rocking the crowded house at Mr. Smalls. The sound was catchy and definitely easy on the ears. Greasy, soulful funk-rock grooved the crowd next, with Better Than Work’s latest song, “Time For A Change” that they just finished today. Tasty stuff! The flute and sax complimented each other well, and the mix was tight. This is a very talented bunch and definitely one to keep an eye on. Black Forest brought an indie sound to Mr. Smalls and put a fresh face on the night so far. The vocals were pensive and the music thought-provoking, but not so out-there that they didn’t entertain the crowd. That they did! The boys of Escaping Grace put on an outstanding set of original modern rock. The vocals were sharp and the rhythm section laid out a perfect road of powerful stuff to keep it all together! Alive in the Underground broke off the steady rockin’ sounds for the crowd at Mr. Smalls. They vocals were tight, and despite a few technical difficulties, they tore it up. Great job all around! Our closer for the night was Decay on Display, who brought a hard-core element of industrial metal to the stage. The drums were live, and electronic, and they band definitely rocked the house! The sounds were reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson, but kept an element of originality to it all. Awesome set! Saturday night saw the debut of Julius C at Mr. Smalls, as well as eight of Pittsburgh’s finest. The fuse was lit by Singine, with some serious industrial sounds. The interpretation of “Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vega was really fucked up… and really cool. The vocals were intense and the stage presence got the early crowd at Mr. Smalls fired up. I don’t use the term “emo” to categorize a band anymore because of the stigma attached,<