Bostons Dispatch was comprised of Brad Corrigan Pete Heimbold and Chad Urmston The band debuted in 1996 with Silent Steeples and returned a year later with Bang Bang Both albums displayed the trios three-part harmonies and cheeky college-friendly mix…

Slightly Stoopids Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald were signed to Sublime mastermind Brad Nowells Skunk imprint while still in high school and did two albums for the label Slightly Stoopid in 1996 and Longest Barrel Ride two years later While the soun…

In a crossover worthy of soap star-turned-rocker Rick Springfield, professional surfer Jack Johnson emerged as one of the hottest pop stars of the early '00s. The interesting thing is that, amid hordes of teen-poppers and nu-metallists, he came to fa…

A triumph of word-of-mouth enthusiasm over an official marketing plan, O.A.R. (Of a Revolution) has become one of the most popular U.S. live acts of the 2000s. They started out as just another roots-and-reggae-loving campus band in the mid-'90s, but …

Born on December 10 1972 in Downey CA Donavon Frankenreiter took to surfing at a young age By the age of 13 he had a sponsor -- Billabong -- and the pursuit of a professional career in surfing led to a move to Hawaii a year later He had rented a home…

Long Beach County skate-rockers Sublime played an infectious mix of ska, punk, hip-hop, and acoustic music that earned them both a devoted underground following and mainstream success during their run in the mid-1990s. Sublime were proud purveyors of…

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Dave Matthews was born in South Africa, but it was after moving to Charlottesville, Virginia, in the 1980s that he assembled his world-beating band. Adding violin and multiple saxophones to the traditional rock-band instru…

Centered around singersongwriter Mat McHugh the eclectic Australian rock group Beautiful Girls make rootsy folk-inflected pop that has drawn comparisons to such like-minded artists as Ben Harper Jack Johnson and Mason Jennings Formed in 2002 the band…

Of all the jam bands to emerge in the late-1980s and early-'90s, Phish were widely regarded as the inheritors to the Grateful Dead's throne. While the group's jazzy, mercurial sound was more progressive and light-hearted than the Dead's, Phish's mass…

Reminiscent of They Might Be Giants both in their music style, a bizarre folk/pop hybrid, and their loyal grassroots support, this US trio, originally known as Gus, formed in 1992. The members, Adam Gardner (vocals/guitar), Brian Rosenworcel (percuss…

Raised on Tony Visconti-era David Bowie as a teenager drummer John Melville was even in a Detroit band that had four tracks produced by Mick Ronson as well as Iggy Pop and Lou Reed the Everyothers mix their influences into decidedly contemporary rock…

Born in Huntington Beach CA in 1982 Matt Costa received his first guitar at age 12 While he was always interested in music even playing in a band in high school Costas first love was skateboarding His dreams of going pro came crashing to an end howev…

Singer/songwriter Ben Harper, who hails from Pomona, CA, debuted in 1994 with WELCOME TO THE CRUEL WORLD. Harper's idiosyncratic mix of blues, folk, rock, funk, and reggae made an instant splash. His distinctive use of the dobro-like Weissenborn guit…

The Philadelphia-based singer and guitarist has been standing at the intersection of hip-hop, the blues, and white-boy frat-house grooves since the release of his 1994 debut, G. LOVE AND SPECIAL SAUCE. While Love is not above being a bit corny at tim…

Guitarist bassist and vocalist Pete Francis Heimbold originally gained a cult following as one-third of the group Dispatch Heimbold was all of 21 years old when he met up with guitaristbassistsongwriter Chad Urmston and drummer Brad Corrigan at Middl…