Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Concert Review: Emergenza Southern Finals

By Caroline North

The Gypsy Tea Room welcomed a massive crowd to its Ballroom last Saturday, where the Southern Finals of the Emergenza Festival were held. Fourteen bands (twelve local groups plus the winners of the Austin and Nashville finals) vied for the grand prize — the opportunity to compete in the international finals in Germany — but ultimately, six-piece Southern rock outfit, The Echoes, came away victorious.

The winner was chosen through a combination of crowd votes and scores awarded by judges. After each set, concertgoers were asked to raise their hands if they wanted to vote for the band they’d just seen. Rather than pick the winner, these votes determined whether a band was in the top half, and therefore, eligible to win. This crowd vote system seemed slightly unfair, since bands from Dallas clearly would have had more friends in the crowd than the visiting bands. Although, A Pocketful of Deng (Austin) took fourth place, and The Roman Empire (Nashville) weren’t far behind, so the system must have worked reasonably well.

Because so many bands/styles of music were represented, it’s easier to cover their performances in list format. So, here we go (in no particular order):

The Echoes: The winning band (also the youngest there). They put on an amazing revival-like show, which at one point included some pretty furious keyboard playin’ and tambourine shakin’ (the only thing missing was the cowbell, and maybe a triangle). But honestly, I was blown away by how talented each member of this band is. I highly recommend that you head over to their MySpace. All of their songs are downloadable.

Villain Vanguard: An amazing funk band from Ft. Worth that took second place. They had great energy and really lit the stage and crowd on fire.

Free Agent: A tight hip-hop group (and I mean tight in both senses of the word). The most memorable thing about their performance was the interaction between the two-lead rappers who shared the stage, and almost seemed to have an Oscar and Felix type of relationship.

Phos: Progressive rock band. Can’t recall much from their set, except that they sound a lot like something you might hear on The Edge

A Pocketful of Deng: This experimental rock band from Austin came out in full seventies garb and played a set that was both musically sound (60’s psych with a modern twist) and entertaining.

Jointmethod: The screams let loose when Jointmethod took the stage were evidence enough that a good portion of the crowd Saturday evening were there to cheer on this hip-hop/reggae group. Their sound is upbeat, anthemic and unlike any other heard that night.

The Roman Empire: I was impressed with this rock band from Nashville. They clearly listen to a lot of Muse and Radiohead. How do I know this? Because they sound eerily similar to Muse and Radiohead (oh, and they cite them as an influence on their MySpace).

Jungle Gym: Experimental metal, heavy on the experimental. Jungle Gym never goes in one direction for more than oh, say, 10 seconds. They also have a lot of really enthusiastic fans, and when Jungle Gym didn’t win I thought there was going to be a riot.

The Joe K Experience: Unfortunately for pop/rock band The Joe K Experience, the sound during their performance was sub-par. But even still, it was clear that lead singer/ guitarist and pianist Joe K (a Jason Mraz type) has a lot of talent. The rest of the band was decent, but not anything to write home about. Maybe that’s why they call themselves The Joe K Experience.

Aftersummer: I’m not versed in the ways of metal, so it’s difficult for me to say much on the topic of Aftersummer, who are hardcore, to say the least. The most distinctive thing about their music is that all of the lyrics are in Spanish.

Shallow Promise: A prog band that put on a solid, but not spectacular, performance.

Llymbo: Another metal band. During the middle of their show, the lead singer (who had a lot of energy) jumped onto an amp, and in the process of doing that, managed to bang his head on a blunt object. This resulted in a nosebleed that poured for the rest of the performance.

SOCOE: An alternative band that played a polished and radio-ready set.

Cristy B: Despite the presence of several hip-hop groups in the mix, Cristy B was the only one with a predominantly R&B flair. Cristy’s voice is impressively soulful, and with the help of her band, she did a lot to round out the show.

All in all, it was a great night. I encourage you and your friends to participate next year, whether that means going to the shows, or signing your band up!

Caroline North was on the judging panel

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