Paramore
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 00s
Pop/rock outfit Paramore began humbly enough in Franklin, TN, when lead singer Hayley Williams met brothers Josh and Zac Farro (guitar and drums, respectively) after moving into town from Mississippi. The two had a young band that the burgeoning singer was soon asked to join. Opening Williams' 13-year-old eyes to the likes of U2, the Cure,... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 00s
Drawing heavy influence from Green Day and blink-182 early on, pop-punk quartet All Time Low formed in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD, in 2003 around singer/guitarist Alex Gaskarth and guitarist Jack Barakat. The two soon added bassist Zack Merrick and drummer Rian Dawson to round out their energetic pop-punk sound and rowdy live show, which often... [+] Read More
Cartel
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 00s
Cartel's earnest take on emo/pop-punk emerged out of Atlanta around 2002, when vocalist Will Pugh, guitarists Joseph Peppers and Nic Hudson, bassist Ryan Roberts, and drummer Kevin Sanders released an initial EP that caught the ear of the California-based Militia Group label. Militia signed Cartel, and the Ransom EP reappeared under Militia in... [+] Read More
Genre: Alternative/Indie
Empire Lies are a melodic rock outfit from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Evan Santa (lead vocals/guitar), Daniel Robere (lead guitar/vocals), Dean Hill (bass) and Shaun Berst (drums/vocals) create a unique sound that becomes a sing-along over a dark but melodic style of punk rock. At times, these highly energetic anthems are contrasted with very... [+] Read More
Fall Out Boy
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 00s
The four members of Chicago's Fall Out Boy came together in suburban Wilmette around 2000. Vocalist/guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz, drummer Andrew Hurley, and guitarist Joe Trohman had all been in and out of various units connected to Chicago's underground hardcore scene. Most notably, Hurley drummed for Racetraitor, the... [+] Read More
Finch
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 00s
California-based emo rockers Finch, originally called Numb, include vocalist Nate Barcalow, guitarists Randy Strohmeyer and Alex Linares, bassist Derek Doherty, and drummer Alex Pappas. Strohmeyer actually had a hand in getting the band signed to Drive-Thru Records. The young guitarist contacted the label incessantly, intent on generating... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 90s, 00s
Story of the Year began as Big Blue Monkey in St. Louis, Missouri. At the time (the late '90s), the band's sound was much heavier (think Deftones), and the lineup that would become Story of the Year was not yet in place. Big Blue Monkey played frequently in and around St. Louis, issued a few EPs, and endured the lineup fluctuations typical to... [+] Read More
The All-American Rejects
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 00s
Tyson Ritter (vocals/bass) and Nick Wheeler (guitar/programming) were in junior high school when music started to influence them. Both were stuck in the ho-hum life of small-town America. Stillwater, OK, wasn't exactly the most exciting place in the world, so naturally the boys turned to music. While Ritter was staying up late, watching music... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 00s
Drummer Ryan O'Connor and bassist Joe Lussa formed the core of punk-pop/emo hybridists the Audition in their hometown of Chicago in 2003, working with a revolving cast of early members to hone the band's sound and play shows. After recording a demo and playing some gigs with locals like the Academy Is..., the Audition caught the ear of Victory... [+] Read More
