The Dangerous Summer | "You are my song, and you are where I want to be." Straightforward, earnest rock music seems to be a contradiction from the path popular music has strayed as of late. The need for genuine lyrics, purposeful direction and accessible melodies has been long overdue. The Dangerous Summer have crafted a throwback to the days when music was charged with hope and contained a much-needed brand of sincerity. This foursome from Ellicott City, Md., have poured every drop of honesty and thoughtfulness into Reach for the Sun, a polished and wise debut brimming with a poise that belies the band’s years. Taking their name from an Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name, it seems every move toward success has been calculated from the start.

Sparks the Rescue | What do you get when you blend infectious melodies and pop-infused technical guitar riffs with high-energy and solid musicianship? You get Sparks the Rescue, a five-piece pop-rock band from Portland, Maine, that will win you over with their originality, passion and dedication to constantly make “rockin’ songs.” They have been playing music for nearly a decade now, starting in high. After blowing up on the local scene, STR (deriving their name from Nicolas Sparks’ novel The Rescue) took their music across the country, attracting thousands of fans nationwide, including substantial names in the music business such as California-based independent label Fearless Records Sparks the Rescue has a musical maturity that goes well beyond their years, both instrumentally and lyrically. They tell a sonic story of a young band’s hopes and dreams, love lost and found, and the desire to break out of their small town and make their mark on the world. Just as love saved the characters in The Rescue, the band similarly find strength in their love of making great music. With a forceful drive to rock listeners’ socks off and a dedicated, loyal fanbase, the future looks bright for these breakout artists.

The Right Coast

Wild America prefer their rock to come out charging full speed ahead, and have just released their first demo tape for interested parties who still have a cassette player.