Twenty-two bands of diverse genres performed at the House Cafe’s two-day music extravaganza Friday and Saturday.

The large amount of musicians were booked for a warm welcome back to the House Cafe, 263 E. Lincoln Highway, after it was closed. For a $15 all-weekend admittance pass, the music fest was an opportunity for spectators to hear all the weekend performances.

Friday

The first night of bands included hard-driving acts, especially with Nobelium 102 and Morphine Lovegun scheduled; however, what made one of the most impressionable and freaky sounding sets was when a collaboration called Blunt took the stage. The band’s thick sound, dreary beats and modulated vocals sound like an awakening robot of doom.

In the late hours of the night, the buzzy bass and drums duo called Space Blood played the most original performances of the weekend. The band’s dry humor added an extraordinary quality to the night, even when people started to leave the cafe for nearby bars. This energetic performance woke up spectators up and grasped listeners’ attention whether they wanted it or not.

Saturday

Just like Friday night, the majority of people trickled in and out of the cafe and stayed long enough to listen to their favorite bands.

Yet, a band that didn’t care about low attendance was Cavetree, an electronic indie band that incorporated elements of dream pop and honeyed vocals. Initially, this band’s highly energetic set turned down into a hush and back up again. This delightful display of passionate music was an awakening to the tiresome afternoon.

Even with multiple-membered bands, solo songwriter acts Pete Jive and Geoff Nelson held their own with two solid hours of acoustic folk. For most of the songs, the attention was thanking the cafe for reopening, specifically during Pete’s rendition of the theme song from “Cheers,” “Where Everybody Knows Your Name.”

When the crowd started to pour in and remain, Prichard Harter brightened up the stage with its acoustic set. The band’s grassroot, toe-tapping performance kept people on their feet. People from the streets must have heard the fast-paced mandolin riffs because it seemed as though the dance floor filled up quickly.

With the evening almost over, a subtle show from The Great Influence Machine brought a fusion of jazz, swing and rock n’ roll. Every time I see this band, it always keeps an exotic presence.