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SUSAN ELGIN
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JANELLE JONES
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JOE MILNE
CHRIS PARKER
AUSTIN POWELL
JASON
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[EKR] EMMA KAT
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KAREN RUTTNER
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BRIAN SHULTZ
LESLIE SIMON
SAM SUTHERLAND
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ANNIE ZALESKI
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EMILY ZEMLER
e've been doing this annual guide to new bands for 10
years now, and truth be told, itnevergets old We like
to think there's something here for everyone, whether
you're rocking neon kicks, readying your flat iron for Warped
Tour or growing your beard in anticipation of Fest 9 th s fa11. So
grab a bunch of highlighter markers and some energy drinks, fire
up your search engine of choice and discover more music in a
few hours than most employees of commercial radio stations
ever do in their lifetimes. You're welcome. Oh, and to quote the
great punk band Wire, "Everybody loves a history"-which is
why we decided to check up on all of the bands we featured in
our first-ever'1OO Bands issue from February 2001. Cruise over
to ALTPRESS.COM/FEATURES and be prepared to smile, groan,
scratch your head or just say "Who?"
The fourth annual AP Tour-starring Never Shout Never' the
Cab, Hey Monday, Every Avenue and the Summer Set-starts
in Dallas, Texas, on March 19. More details and ticket info can
be gleaned by pointing your browser over to the official tour
website (ALTPRESS.COM/THEAPTOUR) or following it on
Twitter ('it THEAPTOUR). Be advised that since this year marks
AP's 25th anniversary, we've been talking to some very special
guests to join the roadshow in select cities. Get your tickets now
or lie that you were there later
And if vou live in Austin, Texas (or if you feel like driving
there), go to Emo's (on the corner of Red River and 6th streets)
and hang with us at our annual 10O Bands You Need To Know
event on Saturday, March 20 from noon to 6pm. Bands from the
AP Tour will show what they're made of alongside some of the acts
mentioned in this special and some special guests we're not telling
you about. (This is why a lot of bands like rs: we can keep secrefs.)
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YEANS
HO: Phlladelphia, PA
CHECK OUT: The Upsldes
HO: Plttsburgh, PA
(10 $l.ttP; noslortncsmn)
CHECKOUT: ConfettlEP
(0011
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RocKS LIKE: sav€s The
Day, New Found Glory, the
Starting Line
nts0rcs,c0m/lFmlnezcollllna3)
ROCKS LIKE: of Montreal,
Grizzly Bear, Deerhunter
"The Wonder Years actually started
as a joke band," says frontman
Dan "Soupy" Campbell. "We were
Seventeen seconds into l. 2. 3's
debut single, "Confetti," they screw
up and shout, "Fucker!" "That was
a complete accident when we
originally demoed it," lead vocalist/
guitarist Nic Snyder admits. "But
we left it in since it has a cool feel
to it." lt's that kind of no holds
barred attitude that drives the
embryonic outfit made up of
members of the now-defunct
power-pop band, the Takeover UK.
Snyder symbolically named the
new outfit after the exact time he
officially quit the former band (1r23
p.m.), but also loves the simplicity
the name evokes. "l don't want
people to have any preconceived
notions about what we might
sound like," he says. "l'd like to
think we're genre-less. Whatever
happens, as long as it's good, we
let it happen." l, 2, 3 are so loose,
everything surrounding them is
in a state of flux. "[We are] going
to evolve rapidly," stresses Snydef,
"That's the cool thing. Everybody
who discovers us at an early stage
is going to be learning as much as
about the band as I am." [RC]
CHECK OUT: Bury Me Alive (80t1[ $IAli;s0lidslahnmdsmln)
ROCKS LIKE: August Burns Red, the Dlllinger Escape Plan, Every Time I Die
"When we 90 into a restaurant and people see four dudes walking in, we tell them
we're in a metal band," says lnhale/Exhale guitarist John LaRussa, whose riffology
on the band's debut, 2OO6's The Lost, The Stck, 7fe Sacred might be the closest ihe
Christian extreme-music label Solid State has come to traditional thrash. After 2OO8's
I Swean,.,the group took a short hiatus while singer Ryland Raus got married and
LaRussa welcomed a second chlld. The group returned late last year with Buty Me
fiom th€ band's debut wlth the arty flourlshes
from thelr sophomore LB doubllng the melodlc content from both' On "lntentlons,"
metalcore eruptions leave burns all over the song's poppy verses' The fulFspeedahead "Explosions" follows immedlately, blasting away any suspicions followers may
have entertained that the band developed a soft side' "l think we have the whole
package," says LaRussa. "l think we structure songs well. We have a lot of posthardcore [elements]. lf ltansl don't want to hear the typical chugs and off-chords and
breakdowns, they'll get something with a llttl€ more meat to it." [DxF]
/qrrve, whlch blends the aggro axework
just friends playing instruments
who ended up writing songs." That
might have been the case back in
2OO5, but today TWY exist as a very
real and serious proiect. The band's
second full-length, The Upsides, is a
sweat-soaked collection of pop punk
that's nakedly personal, from fratboy bashing ("My Last Semester")
to Campbell's tales of anxiety and
depression ("Washington Square
Park"). "l'm all about full disclosure,"
the singer says. "l wanted to be
'lOO percent honest with everyone
listening." Thanks to this honestY
and a road-warrior mentalitY, the
band found respect on stages across
the country and around the world,
touring with bands such as Valencia
and Fireworks. lt's a nomadic
lifestyle, but Campbell wouldn't have
it any other way. "When I'm 'home,'
I'm really sleeping on a mattress on
the floor of my Iittle brother's room
at my mom's house," he says. "Home
for me now is being back in the van
with my best friends." [EL]
Strary Fnotu
'fITfATII
Ho: Long lsland, NY
cHEcK OUT: Make Your own Hlstory
($llltRllll; $nsdellnsnls.eln)
ROCKS LIKE: Hatebreed, Madball, Five
Flnger Death Punch
HO: Richmond, VA
CHECK OUT: You Are Forgotten EP
($ttF{tUlEt0; n!$$&odmdlliomtnd)
ROCKS LIKE: Saosin, Anberlin, the
Receiving End Of Sirens
Few bands are lucky enough to tour with New
Found Glory and Paramore, Of those bands, even
fewer are able to do it while unsigned-just another
accomplishment on Conditions' already-stuffed
resume. Since forming in late 2006, the Virginia
quartet have produced results-including winning
2OO9's Ernie Ball Taste Of Chaos Battle Of The
Bands-that would have any major label suit
salivating. They've also put out two EPs of hardhitting anthemic rock buoyed by high-reaching
vocals and upbeat choruses that have moved
them to the top of record execs'wish lists. But
Conditions refuse to sign with just anyone. "We'd
like to surround ourselves with people who
genuinely care about us," says guitarist Alex
Howard. The band's other main goal is just as
noble: "We want to bring substance back into
music," he explains, "rather than talking about
hooking up with girls and partying." IELI
They're a hardcore band from Long Guy-land, so you
might think Stray From The Path are just a bunch ot
pissed-off mooks. Fortunately, they've 9ot more going
on than mere fist-pumping, gang-shouting bluster "We
like to call ourselves'altelnative hardcore,"' says guitarist
Tom Williams. "l'd say we think of ourselves like what
Deftones used to be to nU metal; they never quite
sounded Iike everybody else, but they were still grouped
Iin that genre]. Once that fad faded out, they were still
around." On their new album, Make Your Own History,
SFTP make their bid for artistic longevity, combining
floor-punching hardcore riffs with a noise-rock squad's
feel for screeching catharsis and lyrics that journey
beyond anthems of bro-hood and scene politicking to
exploring the frustrations of every aspect of life. "We're
all positive, but so much negative stuff happens to us
that it just makes us angry," explains Williams. [PR
Ho: southend-on-Sea, U.K.
GHECK OUT: Do The Job (Lt0l0lt;tnrsacs.mo/hddiss)
ROcKs LIKE: The clash, Kaiser chiefs, Oueens Of The
Ston6 Age
When you're introduced to a band from Britain centered around
two brothers (identical twins, at that), a few obvious questions
suggest themselves-namely, "Haven't you guys killed each other
yet?" Happily, Michael and Jim Webster haven't reached the enmity
levels of the Kinks' Ray and Dave Davies, or the Gallaghers of Oasis,
although drummer Jim admits, "We've had our moments But the
beauty of being brothers is we can say anything in the world to
each othen" Baddies'clean, clipped punk attack, influenced by
sharp-edged ancestors like the Clash and displayed on their 2OO9 '
debut Do lhe Job, is enhanced by the identical uniforms they sport
(blue shirts, black jeans and Doc Martens), even at band rehearsals.
"Whenever you're doing something with the band," explains Webster,
"you're dressed for the occasion." The dress code was tested at a
recent gig in Norway where Baddies were temporarily minus their
signature shirts and considered going topless in solidarity. "Which
would've looked ridiculous," says Webster with a snicken "we're not
really the sort of young men who can pull that off." IDLI