Friday, May 18th Absolute Gruv: another solid start and show from some young, talented musicians. A blues-funk mix, strong vocals and great guitar riffs has these guys at the top of the mix. A little more stage presence is all these guys need to become one of the top bands in the Twin Cities. A very mature band was next on stage, Boku Frequency, with solid talent in all parts. Whether it is the vocals on stage, a Hendrix/SRV inspired guitar solo or flashy drum work, these guys should be able to tour all over and continue to get more exposure. Penetraction: I really liked these guys and believe me they are doing something much more original than 80% of the stuff out there. They need more dedication to promotion and their stage performance, but as talented as these guys are everyone in the club pays attention to what they are producing on stage. I hope they find a way to combine their love for playing with some motivation to promote. American-Blitzkrieg: high energy and a mainstream sound has these guys really flying through this festival. The vocals are very strong, they have fun on stage and they are good to work with. Good luck in the finals. Next up, Sly McGee: even with an ill lead singer these guys performed at a high level. Rivet: more of an old school, hard rock sound with high energy and intensity. With a new and improved lead singer, El Diablo ended the night right. A very solid band that plays to their strengths very well. I think if they all stepped up their look and continue to write in the future they could be playing bars all over the Twins. Best of luck guys. Saturday, May 19th Something Simple opened the night. It is always good to see bands come back with a new outlook on their music. These guys added some drums and a more electric than acoustic set and really improved from the first time I saw them in February. The more they keep playing the more they will improve on stage musically and in their performance. I would also encourage these guys to get some harmony vocals to lift the lead vocals up even more. Same great performance on stage - as always - for High Five. They have the best front man in the festival, and now they have a solid CD for people to pick up as well. Always fun seeing these guys. Just the End: You can see and hear the improvement since February so that is a plus. More dedication to writing their own music and instrumentation will get these guys out there and able to play more and more after high school. Next up, Friendly No One: a very refreshing band with a maturity on stage in both performance and in their music. The vocals are solid from all three guys up front, the drums groove, they guitars and bass blend and layer the music accordingly. Everything is thought out and there is no wasted time/energy/playing/singing. Best of luck in the finals guys. A great surprise for the night was the rock performance of Black Opal. From the vocals to the guitars, these guys lifted the entire crowd up out of their seats and gave a great performance. Deep Sea Diver: an indie band with really cool Robert Smith-esque vocals, vibrant instrumentation and a song about Superman and Wonder Woman that won’t get out of my head. These guys have a CD coming out soon that I’m sure will keep people talking about them after seeing them live. Then took the stage Wounded Minds, definitely not pop music or happy music; these guys get up there and put their ideas on display for everyone to see and hear. They have a good bass player too. Pleasant Street Conspiracy closed the weekend: a very good band with tight vocals, solid music, good energy, and a good mainstream sound. These guys are out in front of a lot of bands that I’ve seen in this competition. Should make quite an impact at the finals. Thanks to Station 4 and all the bands who participated in the festiva