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The second round of the 17th Annual High School Rock Off, which took place yesterday afternoon at House of Blues, wasn’t as eclectic the first round and featured bands that, for the most part, loosely fell into the emo/punk/alt-rock category. The four-hour affair started with Cromagnid, an alt-rock act out of University School that capably covered songs by both Muse and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Uptight, a snotty punk trio from Wellington High School, didn’t have any trouble delivering a set of six emo-influenced songs, all of which were original with the exception of an Alkaline Trio tune. Cardinal High School’s Lethal Synergy followed with a set that commenced with a cover of Rush’s “Spirit of the Radio” and concluded with a rocking rendition of “99 Red Balloons” that had the several members in the audience clapping along to the tune.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.