Though journalistic shorthand often finds Nickelback dubbed "the Canadian Creed," the band found success on its own terms right from the start with the 2000 debut album THE STATE. It may be true that the band's heavy guitars, pounding drums, and dram…

Denver-based band the Fray was formed in 2002 by Isaac Slade vocals piano and Joe King guitar vocals when the two former school friends met up again in a local music store They soon began regular two-man jam sessions that led to writing songs and dev…

Fergie fits in between a diminishing trance scene and the radical advent of UK garage with an uncomplicated take on hard house ethics Beginning his DJ career at the age of 14 and taken through the clubland ranks with the help of Tony De Vit Fergie ma…

Out of the backwaters of Oklahoma rose the power-pop clatter of the All-American Rejects, whose 2002 self-titled debut album, released on the indie Doghouse Records, yielded a huge fan base and the attention of several major labels. In a field crowde…

Coming from the heartland of America (Little Rock, AR), Evanescence mixes the heavy guitar crunch of nu-metal with the moody atmosphere and electronic flavoring of goth rock. Singer/keyboardist Amy Lee also bears the influence of singer/songwriters l…

Glasgow-via-Belfast indie-rock ensemble Snow Patrol have played everything from shambolic noise-pop a la Pavement, to a slightly droney post-rock in the vein of Mogwai, to epic lovelorn anthems modeled after Coldplay. While the band's influences are …

A discovery of pop-punk superstars Fall Out Boy, the Las Vegas emo band Panic! At the Disco (named for a Smiths song), stormed the charts in 2005 while its members were barely old enough to vote. Offering a highly danceable take on the emo formula of…

The Texas indie rock quintet Blue October came together in the late 90s with vocalistguitarist Justin Furstenfeld drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld violinist Ryan Delahoussaye bassist Matt Noveskey and lead guitarist Brant Coulter In 1998 Blue October indep…

The members of Three Days Grace began bashing punk chords when they were in their teens carving a derivative yet energetic sound that fueled their live performances Three Days Grace was formed in Norwood Ontario Canada in 1997 by Adam Gontier vocals …

Cousins Jay DeMarcus and Gary LeVox grew up playing together in Columbus, OH. After DeMarcus moved to Nashville, LeVox eventually followed, and with Joe Don Rooney they formed Rascal Flatts, the singing, songwriting, and instrumental abilities of all…

Though he first came to fame as a member of the definitive boy band N Sync, Justin Timberlake gained superstar status after stepping out on his own with his first solo album in 2002. JUSTIFIED showed that there was more to the then-21-year-old Timber…

New Jersey hardcore band My Chemical Romance achieved a surprising degree of success with their Goth-tinged, woe-is-me take on punk. Labeled everything from emo and pop-punk to post-hardcore and screamo, My Chemical Romance are one of several bands f…

This sleazy hard-rock outfit was formed in Los Angeles, California, USA in 1995 by Keith Nelson (guitar) and Joshua Todd (vocals), with Jonathan Brightman (bass) and Devon Glenn (drums) added to the line-up shortly afterwards. Fronted by the cocksure…

Inspiring legions of imitators (especially among the rap-metal crowd), the Red Hot Chili Peppers combined biting rock guitar with funk rhythms and rap-influenced vocals for a thunderous, party-hearty sound. While the California band was popular on th…

Young singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado, who hails from Victoria, BC, emerged seemingly from out of nowhere with her debut album WHOA NELLY in 2000, sporting an eclectic, genre-defying sound and winsome tone. Furtado's hugely popular work incorporates …

The third group to be put together through the reality television series Making the Band -- O-Town being the first Da Band being the second -- Danity Kanes membership includes five women who beat out hundreds of hopefuls Chosen by music mogul and Bad…

Initially known as an actor most notably on the 90s TV drama My So-Called Life and in movies like Requiem for a Dream Jared Leto also had musical ambitions His band 30 Seconds to Mars debuted in 2002 with a self-titled effort featuring a post-grunge …

Hardcore revivalists-turned-goth-punks AFI ascended to a new level of stardom when they decided to slap on some eyeliner and embrace their inner Robert Smiths. After several independent releases, the Southern California-based outfit released their ma…

Britney Spears proved that the same goldmine that Madonna and Cyndi Lauper mined in the 1980s was again ripe for the picking, and she was immediately followed up the charts by another female teenybop sensation, Christina Aguilera. Closely aligned wit…