The Italians are coming! Actually, the Italian-born music festival -- and competition -- Emergenza Festival arrives in Milwaukee next week for the first time, pitting a number of area bands of all styles in a competition that will advance the winners on to regional and, perhaps, national and international stages.

Emergenza, which was started in Rome in 1990, is only in its second year in the United States, but has already added Milwaukee to the list of cities hosting competitions.

Vnuk's in Cudahy will host 16 first-round gigs between Jan. 20 and the end of February, with anywhere from two to eight bands on the bill at each show. Eight semifinals in March and April will lead to a May final. The winner of that will face the winner of the Buffalo, N.Y. event in a show in Detroit. Ultimately, the top U.S. winner will head to a competition in Germany. There is no screening process for bands; competition slots are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The festival began when a few groups banded together for an informal battle of the bands in Italy. A great response led to more battles and by the mid-1990s, there were Emergenza events in Milan, Genoa, Verona, Naples and other Italian cities. By the dawn of the new millennium, Emergenza had emerged in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hamburg, Munich, Dublin, Madrid and Russia. Bands from as far afield as Russia were applying to compete.

The first U.S. finals -- at Chicago's Metro and in Boston -- drew audiences of nearly 2,000 each, quite a feat. A number of Milwaukee bands began submitting to take part in the Chicago event, which led organizers to consider adding Brew City, which has a good reputation in Europe, thanks to the ongoing popularity there of the Violent Femmes.

"Milwaukee has always been somewhat of a reference point for the music scene in Europe. It's seen as a place with emerging trends and a fine home for the new wave. Move over Seattle!" says Massimo Scialo, Emergenza's marketing and resources director. "We are really looking forward to seeing the talent in this city and I'm very excited especially since we've got some great venues to help us experience the sounds in the optimal conditions."

For the bands, the lure is clear. For most bands, the $70 entrance fee is a small price to pay for the potential exposure the contest provides, at home and abroad.

"I came across the Emergenza site last year by mistake I was searching for another festival," says Tom LaBrosse of Marashino, a local band taking part. "The deadline for registration, was already up. So, I made sure this year we got in for sure. It seems to be run pretty well. We have had one meeting with a rep from Emergenza, and we were just basically informed how Emergenza works and what day we would be performing on."

For Marashino, signing up has already made a difference for the band in Milwaukee, says LaBrosse.

"We were just looking for some exposure (and) I think it has worked because this is the fourth interview the band has done in three days."

With that kind of attention occurring before a single note has been played at one of the Milwaukee gigs, Marashino expects to get its money's worth from Emergenza.

"It would be awesome to play some venues out of state that we haven't played before. Also we hope to meet new contacts that would be able to help the band out more."

Winners from every city will not only advance to the next round, but will earn prizes -- like guitars, drum sets, microphones and amps -- from Emergenza's sponsors, mostly musical instrument manufacturers.

Bands may also get the chance to participate in other Emergenza projects, like four compilation CDs produced each year, an acoustic showcase and a "Best of" Emergenza tour. But LaBrosse has no illusions that getting to the semifinals will be a cakewalk.

"There's a lot of great Milwaukee bands that will be performing, I think this festival will be extremely challenging, we hope we can go far in the competition!"

A complete schedule of Emergenza events in Milwaukee and beyond -- along with rules, sponsors and other information -- is at emergenza.net.