With the assistance of its contemporaries Creed and Godsmack, 3 Doors Down helped keep the grunge flag flying in the mid-1990s in the wake of the demise of genre founders like Nirvana and Soundgarden. Combining the mammoth, sludgy riffs of the aforem…

The chart success of this Los Angeles, California, USA-based rock quintet's 2001 debut, Camino Palmero, can be attributed to the rise in popularity of radio-friendly melodic heavy rock acts such as Creed, Train and Nickelback. Alex Band (vocals) and …

US alternative rock band Dishwalla made something of a startling entry into the recording industry when they appeared alongside much more celebrated acts on the Carpenters' tribute album If I Were A Carpenter, before they had even released a single. …

The origins of Train's widescreen, Americana-tinged rock lay in the coffeehouse acoustic duo that singer/songwriter Pat Monahan inaugurated with guitarist Rob Hotchkiss after the two left the L.A. band the Apostles. Eventually they expanded to a full…

This alternative rock outfit was formed in the late 80s in Birmingham, Alabama, USA by Cinjun Tate (vocals/guitar), his brother Shelby (guitar/vocals), Cedric LeMoyne (bass/guitar), Jeffrey Cain (guitar) and Gregory Slay (drums). The Tate's parents h…

This Los Angeles, California, USA-based alternative rock band treads the same middle ground as Creed, Matchbox 20 and Pearl Jam. Songwriter Jason Wade (b. 5 July 1980, California, USA; vocals/guitar) and Sergio Andrade (b. 17 October 1977, Guatemala …

Originating from San Diego, California, USA, and formed during the mid-90s, this Christian rock band was the brainchild of brothers Jonathan Foreman (vocals/guitar) and Tim Foreman (bass/vocals). Like many San Diego teenagers, the Foremans were avid …

Welsh trio Stereophonics made a big splash as the first band to be signed to Virgin impresario Richard Branson's V2 label. Their 1997 debut album started them on the path to stardom, and their distinctive blend of Oasis-inspired Britpop and '70s-infl…

Although they are very much their own band, Staind are often linked to Limp Bizkit, whose singer Fred Durst was instrumental in aiding the band's career. Early on, Durst suggested that lead singer Aaron Lewis integrate solo acoustic touches into the …

Starting out in the late 1990s, pop-punk band Yellowcard got together in Jacksonville, FL, but eventually migrated to California, where they built a grass-roots following through their indie releases. One thing in particular that set Yellowcard apart…

U2's Bono was one of the few real rock heroes of the 1980s, leading the Irish band to international recognition with a charged, political approach to music. The band's early efforts brought a stadium-size presence to alt-rock, with Bono's expressive …

The roots of Los Angeles band Maroon 5 lay in the late-1990s Weezer-influenced alt-rock outfit Kara's Flowers. After that group disbanded, the members eventually started a new band (along with a second guitarist). Rechristening themselves Maroon 5, t…

In 2000, Coldplay emerged seemingly out of nowhere to become a worldwide smash with their debut album PARACHUTES and hit single "Yellow." They're generally lumped in with the Britpop crowd, but, like Travis, they favor a more thoughtful, melodic pop …

Anyone who couldn't relate to the agitated sounds of late-'90s/early-'00s alt-rock but still wanted to hear something new found solace in such "mature" alternative acts as Matchbox 20. Taking the anthemic rock and balladry of Pearl Jam and smoothing …

Fountains of Wayne, built around singer/songwriters Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood, appeared in the mid-1990s with a hook-filled power-pop sound that acknowledged '60s and '70s influences but was unmistakably informed by a contemporary alt-ro…

The late 1990s saw the emergence of several notable female singer/songwriters, including Beth Orton, Jewel, and Dido. Combining elements of folk, pop, and alt-electronica, Dido scored a surprise hit with her debut effort NO ANGEL, which raced up the …

British trio Keane, who trade in the sort of grandiose, melancholy Britpop that was the chief domain of Coldplay for much of the early 2000s, broke big with their 2004 debut album, HOPES AND FEARS. While many hear the band's sound as yet another wate…

Formerly known as Bonehead Familiar 48 is among the many alternative poprockpost-grunge bands that came out of Philadelphia and its suburbs in the late 90s Familiars material is generally melodic and tuneful and its influences -- either direct or ind…

John Mayer emerged in 2001 as the fresh young face for a new generation of earnest singer-songwriters. While Mayer's work is as confessional, intimate, and acoustic-guitar-based as that of old-schoolers like James Taylor and Jackson Browne, his appro…

b. USA. Viewed in many quarters as an Elton John for the twenty-first century, this pop rock singer-songwriter made his much-hyped entrance on the US music scene in 2003 with his debut, Chariot. DeGraw grew up in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New…