The Graffiti Rock Challenge moved through the second night of the semi-finals with a much… The Graffiti Rock Challenge moved through the second night of the semi-finals with a much better night of music than the week before. Only three bands took the stage on night two, a first for the 18-year-old showcase. The fourth band stepped down, not following through with the contract agreed upon when it was accepted.

In its 18th year, the Graffiti Rock Challenge has helped some big names in local music along with their career. Past winners include The Buzz Poets, Mercury, Soda Jerk and Brownie Mary, and notable runners-up include The Clarks and Rusted Root.

One hundred twenty-one bands submitted recordings to be evaluated, were narrowed down to 16 bands, which then compete in four semifinal night. One band from each semifinal night makes it to the final competition. The winner will receive a multitude of prizes, including studio time, performances on the air with 105.9 WXDX and 102.5 WDVE, and a CD release party at Mr. Small’s Fun House.

The Valentine’s night of rock started off with The Patrick Maloney Band. PMB is a four-piece that played an acoustic brand of rock that was inspired by classic rock acts like Tom Petty and The Rolling Stones. And speaking of The Rolling Stones, front man Patrick Maloney sounded a lot like Mick Jagger and even referred to his guitar player as his “own, little Keith Richards.”

Playing mellow rock and singing songs about love and feeling blue, they picked up speed and energy toward the very end of their set with a song titled “Secret Love,” a quick and energetic song that pulled some folks out of their seats to do a little dancing.

The Patrick Maloney Band didn’t have a lot of support from the crowd in attendance, which was rather small to begin with, but they did pull in some audience approval toward the end of the set, which is always heartwarming.

Up next were the energetic Mark Scheer and the Discount Stars. Whereas Maloney had the sound of Mick Jagger, Scheer had the look.

Picture a “Saturday Night Live” skit with Chris Kattan doing a Mick Jagger impersonation with four flannel-clad, burly lumberjacks supplying the music. OK, now that you are a little disturbed, let me assure you that Scheer and the Discount Stars sounded good.

They had an incredible stage presence that pulled in more fans than they brought with them, having the audience go wild after every song. Scheer was a flamboyant front man, wearing a long, pink scarf, dancing around with his hand on his hip and blowing kisses to the crowd.

They switched their sound with every song, covering a number of styles, including a slight touch of a country twang and what appeared to be the style that would make them perfect for a wedding band, if there are such things anymore. They looked as if they would fit in perfectly in Adam Sandler’s “The Wedding Singer,” able to cover a Culture Club song at the drop of a hat.

Wrapping up the night was a huge change in sound from what had already taken the stage. Mushcup, a Nu Metal band from Beaver County, came up to fans chanting their name. They brought their own support group, but the other fans who happened to stay for the end weren’t as impressed as the faithful Mushcup followers.

They had the Nu Metal look and sound, wearing dark clothes and mixing a nice amount of heavy screams and rap verses sung with angst and power. They fit the image of teen-age angst, letting go in a mosh pit, but their sound wasn’t as tight as it could have been. Some transitions were a little sloppy at times, but it wasn’t a huge factor in their performance.

They had a great stage presence, with each member really getting into the music; at one point, the guitar players — there were two of them — were both banging along with the music, bent over their guitars and jumping around the stage. The front man was a presence, besides being a big guy who held his own on stage. They had what it takes in the music industry if only they were in this contest four or five years ago.

One factor that is judged is industry potential. That was on of the factors, along with originality and songwriting ability, that kept Mushcup from taking the night. They fell 12 points short of Mark Scheer and the Discount Stars in what was a very impressive night of rock music.

Mark Scheer and the Discount Stars had the presence on stage, as did Mushcup, but with slightly more originality and better lyrics; Scheer held his own and put himself and his Discount Stars into the final competition, along with last week’s winner Alisium, on March 13.

Find out who will be the next band to make the finals when Rockwells, Under It All, Bad Karma and Further Down battle it out at Mr. Small’s.

The semifinals of the Graffiti Rock Challenge take place every Saturday in February. Doors open at 7:30, with the first band taking the stage at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door, and it is an all-ages show. For more information on the Graffiti Rock Challenge, check out www.graffitishowcase.com.