Arriving there I was early. I could feel the passion eminating throughout the room, the bodies touching one another as they perused the cd's and albums. We sat next to each other like we were all the crowd, but some of us felt the need to exert their passion onto the room. This room was full of passion, the amount of which I have not seen in some time. A new addition to this free show, Tristeza, an instrumental band from San Diego, took the stage shortly after 8, and commenced to destroy every preconception that anyone had about them. They were fierce, biting, and pining. They attacked with a fury and soothed like a warm hug. They were your best friend and your worst enemy. Every end of the spectrum was covered with a rare panache that is saved for only the very best outfits. I am still in awe. A duo from Wisconsin was next, The Power of Means. More fierceness. Like the dog without food for three days. Biting growling and barking, but in the most artistic way. The guitarist would make a great perfromance artist. He took each nuance of every song and chreographed his movemnets to it. Pure emotion. Original songwriting at its finest. The Lyndal Control. From Salt Lake City. These guys are a three piece--guitar, bass, and drums. They attacked in a much different way then the first two bands. They were like a big brother, yelling at you because they care. The songs the sung were easily relatable, songs written by the boy next door for you, about you. The parallelism is almost scary, but then you realize that you are in the audience. This isn't happeneing to you, but you wish it was. This band is not to be missed, they will leave you wanting more. The nightcap was The Better Automatic, of the label known as Resin in the city known as The District of Columbia. This band is headed for much greener pastures, they do not have a counterpart on the scene--their sound is totally unique. Carleton uses his voice as a conduit, caressing each word and not allowing it to leave his mouth prematurely. There are no broken metaphors, everything has a meaning. The bassist is a master with his instrument as he trades sentiments with Carleton occasionally and Mike attacks and attacks the drums with an intensity that guides the band through each song. They have an album coming out next month, so be sure to pick it up.