Midwest

PLAIN WHITE T'S
Once in a blue moon, an individual comes along so driven to succeed that it seems inevitable. Illinois-born Tom Higgenson is one of those people. In his high-school days, he dreamed of becoming a renowned songwriter. After a very lucky demo handoff to Loud Lucy singer Christian Lane during a performance, Higgenson got to work forming a band. Routine garage cover band practices followed and The Plain White T's released their first album, Come On Over, in 2000 on Atlantic Records. Driven by Higgenson's zeal, the T's played constantly in the Chicago area, frantically stirring up a rabid fanbase. After a switch to Fearless in late 2001, the band released their second full-length, Stop, the following year. After their third release, All That We Needed, in 2005, and a complete lineup change, Higgenson's brand of catchy, melodic pop-punk kept gaining popularity below the radar. Then, after signing to Hollywood, the band released their most successful album, Every Second Counts, in 2006. The re-release of an earlier single, "Hey There Delilah" earned them a hit song, a Grammy nomination and tours with high-profile groups like Fall Out Boy and Gym Class Heroes. —ET

THE FRAY
Despite having only released one full-length album, 2005's How to Save a Life (Epic), Denver-based alternative-pop band The Fray has been a ubiquitous presence on the music scene. Their first single, "Over My Head (Cable Car)," with its melodic bass and piano-heavy hook, invaded music television and dominated radio in 2006. Amazingly, the album's title track, not even originally released as a single, skyrocketed to the top of the US, UK, and Australian charts after its emotional first appearance on an episode of Scrubs. Having gone double-Platinum, The Fray are still touring heavily around the world and working on their next release. —ET

BAD VEINS
After only two shows in their hometown of Cincinnati, OH, Bad Veins lead singer/instrumentalist Ben Davis and drummer Sebastien Schultz were already getting an unnatural amount of attention. Their eerie aesthetic of old aqua-colored military fatigues, red roses, and antique equipment coupled with the band's dark, gorgeous sounds was enamoring listeners from the start. The duo creates huge orchestras at home, and then plays the recordings on a thirty-year-old tape machine onstage while Schultz hammers out the rhythms and Davis sings haunting lyrics through a megaphone and an old telephone. With their first four tracks already snatched up and released by the cutting edge RCRD LBL, the uniqueness of Bad Veins' style seems to be elevating them straight to the top of the pile of traditional rock bands. —LW

VEDERA
Kansas City's Vedera is a four-piece lead by singer/guitarist/pianist Kristen May and featuring brothers Brian Little (lead guitar) and Drew Little (drums), and bassist Jason Douglas. Tapping into the jangly pop sound made popular by The Cranberries and The Sundays, Vedera's modern twist includes alt-rock and impassioned melodies unique to their midwestern stomping grounds. Alternative Press has hailed lead singer Kristen May as, "the likely champion if a television network ever stages Underground Idol." The band's new album, Stages, was produced by Mike Flynn, hit-maker for The Fray. —EP

MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK
Motion City Soundtrack has a name that has often confused some unaware salespeople as to where they should stock their albums, but there's no mistaking the Minnesota-based band's position in the modern rock world. Headed by frontman Justin Pierre, the band has remained popular since their first album, I Am The Movie, was released in 2002 and re-released a year later on Epitaph, which went on to release both 2005's Commit This to Memory and 2007's Even if it Kills Me, which debuted at #16 on the Billboard 200. It is their highest charting album to date. —ET

RISE AGAINST
Chicago's hardcore heroes Rise Against honed their chops on the road in the early 2000's. After a high-profile stint on the Warped Tour, they made their major label debut in 2004, releasing Siren Song of the Counter Culture (DreamWorks/Geffen). In 2005, they appeared in the skateboarding film Lords of Dogtown playing a rousing version of Black Flag's "Nervous Breakdown," and upping their street cred even further. Rise Against's fourth album, The Sufferer & The Witness, debuted in 2006 at number ten on the Billboard Top 200. In January, the band released This is Noise, a 5 song digital EP, to tide over their fans while they wait for a new full-length. —EP

ST. VINCENT
St. Vincent is Annie Clark, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma into a large family. While most young girls were playing with dolls, Annie crafted guitars using cardboard and rubber bands. When she finally got a real instrument, she was on her way to becoming a professional, yet she retained her childlike ingenuity. St. Vincent now makes cinematic pop epics that can sometime sounds like Paris in the '20s but informed by jazz, gospel blues and Southern folk music. On Marry Me, her Beggars Banquet debut released last year, we see an artist in full bloom with songs that are literary, evocative and complicated but sonically sublime. —EP