An energetic and enthusiastic crowd filed in to Mr. Smalls for the Pittsburgh final, crowding to the stage and bar ready for a night full of talented musicians. Eternity Falls kicked things off with the force of an atomic bomb, with metal with just a touch of punk. The singer is a monster on stage, and got this early crowd at Mr. Smalls on their feet and ready to rock! Absolute Malice rocked the house with intensity, with aggressive vocals and well timed attacks from the rhythm section. I think a couple of the guys in the underage section hit puberty tonight thanks to this band… The next band to hit the stage was Mindset. Their set was an action-packed set of hard rock. The vocals cut through you and the guitars and bass were tight. The trippy sounds of Neighbor took the crowd to new heights… Their set floated through like early Stone Roses mixed with Stone Temple Pilots. They definitely brought a strong showing of the faithful as they heated up the room. Half Past Yesterday’s punk-rock livened up the room with influences from MXPX and other punk greats. The set was intense! Cellofourte wowed the crowd at Mr. Smalls with an outstanding set of original… rock? Classical? It was the perfect hybrid of both, and the audience ate it up! The quartet is well rehearsed and uber-talented (yes, I said uber). Bravo! The Hank Cooper Band was poppy and fresh on the night, and played an entertaining set that even sampled a little taste of Third Eye Blind. Great job! Alive in the Underground took off next with an incredibly energetic set of modern-rock. They were in the crowd – literally- and threw an explosive mix up here at Mr. Smalls. The Warren Gulden Trio really showed some skills tonight, with a great set of bluesy, ballsy, funky rock. The vocals were excellent and the trio really sounded tight! Masters of the Universe was next up to bat and the crowd at Mr. Smalls skanked away the next twenty minutes to the delicious ska rock sounds they played. The horns were tight and the stage presence was excellent! Decay on Display was phenomenal, with a very cool set of electronic and organic metal-rock. The vocals were pensive and emotionally charged, and the stage presence was really cool. The final band of the night was a hybrid of styles called The High. The set was energetic and got the crowd at Mr. Smalls back into the fray, singing along, screaming, cheering and rocking out. The vocals were driven and the music just said “party.” Congratulations to Cellofourte, who will be traveling to Columbus to represent Pittsburgh at the regional finals, as well as the individual prize winners. Best of luck to Cellofourte, and Columbus bands: prepare yourselves… this band is really something! One Love,