“Tom Petty, Springsteen, Neil Young, and Pearl Jam…these are the people I look to,” says Chris Carrabba, the creative force behind Dashboard Confessional. “They do what they want and follow their hearts, going wherever their music is taking them. I look to those guys, and I start to think: how does it work for them? What were they holding on to, and do I hold on to that as well?”

With the release of his fourth full-length album Dusk and Summer, the Boca Raton, Florida resident is no longer simply an up-and-coming musician; he's a career artist. Dusk is certainly the most defining album of what has already been a remarkable career; on one end, it's a return to the full band sound of Carrabba's earliest, pre-Dashboard work, and yet also the most forward-thinking and innovative record he's ever recorded

 
 If you think getting dumped by your girlfriend is rough, try getting dropped by your record label. Twice. Although they're still barely in their twenties, that's exactly what happened to Sam Means and Nate Ruess, otherwise known as The Format. However, instead of letting the experience destroy them, the band has transformed the ordeal into something positive. (Hell, they threw parties both times it happened.)

"It sort of mockingly turned the whole major-label side of the music business into a dance," explains Ruess about one of Dog Problems' most telling songs, "The Compromise." "There's a line, 'I can feel your feet touching mine,' which pretty much explains it all in the sense of 'if you're not willing to play the game, we'll just find someone else.' And that's quite alright with me." Although the band was inundated with major-label offers after their split with Atlantic, they decided to release under their own Vanity Label imprint, distributed by Sony/BMGa move that allowed them to make the album they wanted to make.

 
“There's a difference between nerds and losers,” says MC Bat Commander, "all these people whining about how they are losers and nobodies, 'cuz they feel sorry for themselves or something. It's such a cop-out. Nerds are different, they believe in something. They believe in themselves, regardless of what they've accomplished yet. So, if that makes me a 'nerd,’ sign me up."

The Aquabats wear their nerd-ness on their sleeves, sure, but little did they know they’d strike a universal chord. Who hasn’t felt awkward, uncool, or just a little out of place? Rather than hiding deficiencies beneath colored contact lenses, tough guy tattoos, serial killer pseudonyms, or otherwise blending in with the growing, futile notion of rock ‘n’ roll as ‘rebellion,’ The Aquabats have always seemed to shock the ‘shockers.’

And in the new millennium what better way to revolt? The Aquabats cut through the dark façade of rock ‘n’ roll, encouraging people to lighten up, and not take themselves so seriously.

A great song, says Colbie Caillat, should lift your heart, warm the soul and make you feel good. Taking her own sound advice, "Coco", the debut album by the 22 year-old Californian singer-songwriter is simply crammed full of them.

In an age when marketing has been elevated above content and so many songs are written and produced to a pre-ordained formula, Caillat comes as a welcome breath of fresh air. Records these days seem to fall into two categories. The vast majority tend to contain one or two good tracks which you download to your computer so that you never have to listen to the rest of the album again. Far more rare are those that demand to be listened to from start to finish, with every song in perfect symmetry. Think of the kind of vintage, organically-crafted albums that Carole King or Joni Mitchell used to make. Thankfully, it's a tradition that is being kept alive today by the likes of Norah Jones, Jack Johnson - and now Colbie Caillat.

 “There’s definitely a human feeling in this record.” That’s what Piebald guitarist/vocalist Travis Shettel says about his band’s latest, Accidental Gentlemen (SideOneDummy Records), and the fact that — like most of the Piebald back catalog which dates back to 1995 — it’s an album that was largely tracked to analog tape, foregoing the preferred computer-based methods of recording these days. “When you compare it to many other records on the market, they sound like a weird robot machine playing songs that may or may not be good. This album sounds like human beings.”

Steel Train's latest album "Twilight Tales From the Prairies of the Sun" was produced by legendary producer Stephen Barncard, whose credits include albums by The Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Joe Cocker. The CD includes special guests such as Gene Parsons, and David Grisman.

Being in a band used to be different. It wasn’t all about getting the best support slots, collecting the most friends on MySpace or dressing a certain way in order to sell records. It was about crafting music that celebrated your influences, seeing the country unfold via bug-splattered van windows and meeting people and sharing experiences that wouldn’t only help spike sales in certain markets, but would also help define you as a human being.

Chances are you have heard something Jeremy Chatelain has had a hand in - you just may not know it. From his earliest days in the alternative rock outfit Handsome to his most recent offerings as the bass player / vocalist in indie giants Jets to Brazil , the past 5 years has seen Jeremy in his most interesting guise to date as Cub Country.

Love You Long Time are locals from Provo, Utah. They are committed to making your booty shake. The Jamboree will be a party thanks in part to their infectious electro indie pop.