As last year’s venue for the final went the way of the Dodo, we were introduced to a brand new, delicious venue in Deep Ellum, Live@Mokah. Huge stage, awesome lights and stellar sound, along with a really cool coffee bar in the front. Nice place, but the real attraction was the fifteen bands that were locked and loaded and ready to rock Dallas! The bar was set high with the symphonic-progressive metal sounds of Twenty3Fifty9. They ripped into a powerful set of original material following the saga of the Count of Monte Cristo. Very strong stuff! Tongue grabbed the crowd quickly with a nice mix of modern-rock and reggae and alternative. The vocals were really sweet, and the three piece rocked the crowd at Live@Mokah. Next up was Fire for Hire, a talented young pop-rock group. Diversity was present, as the set leapt from up-tempo happy jams to melancholy acoustic tales. The female vocals soared effortlessly over the rest of the band in a superb set! A U X (Austin finalists) rocked the house, with no doubt showing why Austin is the new music capitol of the US. The set was fresh and invigorating, and the indie-rock band definitely left a big footprint on Dallas tonight! The Hillary Early Band simply amazed me with a powerful set of unique, original material in an indie-rock vein of fun. The band is overloaded with talent, and makes a tasty combination of this talent to create a sound all their own. Bravo! Three Fold Cord played a stellar set of original Christian-rock, with strong vocals and great stage presence! The set enlightened and excited the crowd at Live@Mokah, for certain. The Justin Ross Band worked the Texas heat in their favor, riling the crowd into a dancing mass of rock fans. The show was energetic and full of style, and the music was catchy yet original. Great job all-around from this band! The Inspirado was an inspiration to us all, rocking the house with fervor. They are definitely some up-and-comers! Psymbience (Oklahoma City finalists) poured out a feverish effort on the folks in Dallas, and definitely made their mark! The melodic math metal psycho-rock… oh, hell, I don’t know how to tame it… At any rate it rocked the house and intrigued many and entertained all! The Blarney Street Hooligans showed their Irish pride with an outstanding set of material. The crowd got lively (but no need for Eye of the Tiger, unfortunately) and danced away to the fun, drinkin’ sounds of this band. Every piece is an integral part, from the bass to the fiddle, and played to perfection! Representing the STL, First Light bared their fangs and tore into the crowd at Live@Mokah with an intensity not yet seen tonight. The set was energetic, well-played and full of passion. These guys really know how to rock! Dangercart tore into it with a now four-piece punk sound that kicked it into high gear early, with a ton of dynamite packed into the guitars! The pace was quick and the crowd responded in kind, digging their heels in with every new song. The three-piece SoCal punk sounds of Xtra-Medium hit us like a wave on the beach, and the crowd’s enthusiasm was unstoppable! The band rocks, plain and simple! Great stage presence and interminable love for their fans is what keeps this band top-notch. Congratulations to The Justin Ross Band, moving on to L.A. for the National final. West coast, prepare for some Texas rock! I saw some incredible bands this season, and can’t wait to dig into next season to see what the world has to offer. See you all again soon! One Love,