When I got a call from Open Mic Madness founder and host Josh Rifkind asking me if I'd help him out with the event, I was quite happy to do so.

I mean, why not? The Whigs and Bain Mattox had won the previous years' contests, so surely this year's winner would be great as well. I'd have the opportunity to see a lot of local acts, hang out with some of my favorite people in the local music scene, and help an amazing event. So, there I was. Atlanta Music Guide writer-turned-door girl at Smith's Olde Bar for the week (there's a laugh for all of you who read the 'Atlantis Lament').

I spent six nights listening to a ridiculous amount of music - some of it incredible, and some of it..well..I'm sure you can all imagine. Even two weeks later, I am still a bit delirious.

Throughout the whole week, local music industry professionals came out to judge the chaos. And I must say, Rifkind knows how to bring the right crowd out. People ranging from the Atlanta Music Guide's own Iain Bluett, to Vintage Volume/Epic Records A&R Shawn Moseley, Collective Soul's Dean Roland, Will Turpin, and Shane Evans, Clear Channel/Music Midtown/Delta Campus Movie Fest's Mitali Chakraborty, Wicked~West PR's Caren West, BMI's Mike Weeman, engineers/producers from Nickel and Dime recording studios, Brash Music's Mike McQuary, and booking agents all over Atlanta, from Andrews Upstairs, Vinyl, and The EARL, were all present. (Was that enough namedropping for all of you??)

So here came round one - Monday through Wednesday, every night, bands and singer/songwriters went head to head against each other in front of packed out crowds. By Friday, there were only sixteen left. I watched some of my favorite musicians pitted against each other and was sad to see some quality acts leave.

The 140+ acts quickly dwindled down to 8 finalists set to play Saturday night. By then, all that was left of the insanity were four singer/songwriters: Shana Alverson, Michael Levine, Scott Ivey, and Ryan McDougall - along with four bands: Clay Evans Band, Chronic Tendencies, Line of Sight, and Avenge Vegas.

And then there were two: Ryan McDougall and Avenge Vegas. I can't possibly explain to you how hard it was for me to watch these two play 'against' each other. Both the solo artist and the band are extremely talented in completely unique ways.

Singer/songwriter/producer McDougall often draws comparisons to Jeff Buckley, which isn't difficult to fathom with his haunting vocals and beautifully morose song arrangements. He proves that there are Atlanta singer/songwriters that can create captivating music without sounding like John Mayer carbon copies. Open Mic Madness’ Rifkind also echoes this sentiment. “What's great about Ryan McDougall is that he is terrific singer-songwriter, in the classic sense. He isn't a modern pop guy with a fancy sweater; he just kind of breaks your heart."

During his final performance, McDougall walked through the crowd (a la Butch Walker during his closing song) unplugged and belting his heart out, in a somewhat hopeless attempt to get the audience to stop talking. He was obviously frustrated with the noise level, but nevertheless, he managed to perform a stunning song.

It's been a while since Atlanta's had a female fronted rock band that plays around town as much as Avenge Vegas, and judging from their win at Open Mic Madness, people are glad to rock with them. The band often gets compared to their predecessors, such as Veruca Salt, Belly, and The Cranberries.

But if you listen closely, it's obvious that lead singer/guitarist Lauren McGinnis, bassist/vocalist Micah Silverman, and drummer Terry Walker are influenced more by the Brit rock sounds of Radiohead, Muse, and The Cure. The band's first show was only in January, and since then, Avenge Vegas has torpedoed through all the local music venues from Downtown, Midtown, East Atlanta, and Buckhead.

Winning the head-to-head competition was a definite surprise for the trio. Front woman Lauren McGinnis says that the band was shocked by their win.

“We never thought it'd be us, but we just kept winning and thought [to ourselves] that the next round, the streak would stop. This competition has allowed so many new people to see us and grab a small little part of what we are…”

“The best part [of the week] was looking out into the crowd and seeing how supportive everyone was. I think a lot of our friends in the local scene have seen us mature as a band, right in front of them...We still have tons of room to grow, but I think [our friends] are just as proud of us as we are, and that’s about the best feeling anyone could ever have.”

Rifkind agrees that the band is on their way to creating something special. “Avenge Vegas showed amazing promise and potential. I'm very excited for them,” he states. “They really engage you, and the vocals are impressive. You look [at them] quickly and think you'll hear The Donnas, but they come at you with something much darker, while never letting go of the melody.”

But as Rifkind states throughout the week, winning or losing Open Mic Madness means absolutely nothing. Although Bain Mattox and The Whigs (who are playing the 99X Upstart Fest with Franz Ferdinand and the Killers) have been doing very well since their wins, at the same time, nobody in Trances Arc, Second Shift, or Y-O-U is suffering from their losses during the competition’s previous years.

Open Mic Madness is about bringing a ridiculous amount of bands and local music supporters together under one roof and to give bands who normally wouldn’t be seen the opportunity to garner attention.

Somehow, even after over 140 acts, 350 musicians, 48 nightly rounds of elimination, and being gatekeeper at Smith's all week from 6:30pm - 2:30am, I managed to leave Open Mic Madness with a smile on my face...at 3:30 in the morning on Sunday. And I can’t wait to do it again next year.

www.avengevegas.com | www.ryanmcdougall.com | www.openmicmadness.com