1. AMERICAN DRAG: San Francisco, CA
READY TO LOSE THE DAY JOBS
“We had big delusions of grandeur about what we expected from the American rock and roll dream,” says American Drag frontman Will Evankovich. Having chased it through the ‘90s in various permutations —Mason Lane, Stereo Flyers, Grace (with Peter Cornell)—these five musical soul brothers found themselves still working shitty day jobs and sidelining in bar mitzvah jazz combos. They’ve joined forces to record a hook-heavy rock album—and their live show kicks, especially when de facto keyboardist Eric Levy (Garaj Mahal) shows up. Evankovich has serious pipes, sometimes reminiscent of Chris Robinson. Jason Thwaites is a rising guitar hero with fat Les Paul tone in the Page-Allman- Slash tradition. Bassist Joe Shaughnessy has chops like a Chicago butcher—hear him lock in with Thwaites and drummer Ethan Turner, whose tricks include triggered samples that bring 21st century crispness to AD’s big ‘70s rock sound. Guitarist Monroe Grisman (yeah, his old man’s the Dawg) weaves it all together with fresh rhythm licks and tight vocal harmonies. Background in prog, powerpop, and grunge translates to big melodic riffs that turn on a dime, and when they bring it out to the edge of the cliff, it’s clear: These guys can fucking play.
Richard B. Simon www.americandrag.net

2. THE GREENCARDS: UK, Australia
TWO AUSSIES AND A BRIT
Great things happen by chance. Such was the case with acoustic bluegrass trio The Greencards (two Aussies and one Brit). After forming in the beginning of 2003—all three members coincidentally in Austin recording with a different artist—they instantly created a buzz. In 2004, The Greencards won Best New Band award at the Austin Music Awards, while its debut release, Movin’ On, peaked at number five on the Americana charts. “When the album started charting on the Americana charts, that was kind of an acceptance for us,” says Kym Warner (mandolin, vocals), who, with Carol Young (bass, lead vocals) and Eamon McLoughlin (fiddle, vocals) creates sweet, eloquently tasteful melodies that come together like puzzle pieces. Young’s voice gets in touch with an emotional vulnerability that a sad cowboy would die for—innocently broken in the most beautiful way. “We don’t try to be different,” says Warner. “This is just what naturally comes out.”
Michael Spies www.thegreencards.com

3. ROSE HILL DRIVE: Boulder, CO
POWER TRIO REDUX
Daniel Sproul scored Sammy Hagar’s digits before he legally purchased a drink. Along with his brother Jake, Daniel, 20, began writing songs in his parents’ basement as a teenager, cycling through drummers before settling on high school friend Nate Barnes. While their peers prepared for the SAT, the Sprouls studied rock-and-roll; they grew their hair long, earned a number of suburban noise citations and learned the art of the all-night party. Sobering up in their early 20s, Rose Hill Drive began to rise through the ranks of Boulder’s jam-friendly club circuit, offering the city some much-needed amplified rock-and-roll. Despite being led by Daniel’s guitar and Jacob’s equally vocal bass lines, the Sprouls say Rose Hill Drive hasn’t fallen victim to sibling rivalry. “Jake and I have been locking ourselves in a basement and writing,” Daniel says. “We’re trying to come up with as much material as we can before we enter the studio.” Appearing at festivals such as Bonnaroo and All Good, and opening for everyone from Umphrey’s McGee to Van Halen, Rose Hill Drive’s message is simple: “We just want to rock.”
Mike Greenhaus www.rosehilldrive.com

4. MELTONE: Tokyo, Japan
JAPANESE JAMBAND
This is one band for whom “The show must go on” isn’t just a platitude. Even with his wife going into labor, frontman Shin-ichiro Tomita was determined to proceed with a recent gig at an outdoor festival. “Everyone was saying, you’d better get back, this isn’t the time to be worrying about a gig,” he says. “I ran onto the stage, rushed off, and made it back to Tokyo just in time.” The happy result for Tomita was the birth of his first daughter. But that isn’t the only feather in his cap this year. Meltone, which looks more to the simpler, sing-along sounds of the Dead’s early days than the progressive leanings of today’s jambands, released its second album, Wonderful View, and highlighted its career with an appearance at the High Sierra Music Festival. “It was completely different than Japanese festivals,” Tomita enthuses. “Japanese festivals can be fun, but at High Sierra the audience really cut loose. In Japan, it’s up to us to move the audience, but at High Sierra it was the audience that lifted us up and pushed us to a higher level.”
Dan Grunebaum www.meltone.net

5. DJ WILLIAMS PROJEKT : Richmond, VA
HE AIN'T NO DJ
DJ Williams uses a guitar instead of a turntable, but that doesn’t mean the 23- year-old axeman isn’t capable of blending styles like the best disc jockey. Offering a horn-heavy mix of funk, R&B, soul, jazz and hip-hop, the DJ Williams Projekt first came together as a trio based around Williams’ jazzy guitar. Gradually evolving into a sextet, boasting keyboards, bass, drums, and saxophone, the DJ Williams Projekt inked a deal with Harmonized Records, and recently issued the ultrasmooth Projekt Management. While Williams’ DJ moniker refers to his initials— his birth name is Donald Jeffrey Ilory Williams, Jr.— the guitarist soon found himself spinning dance-friendly music any turntablist would likely sample. In the past year the group has also expanded its fan base outside the Southeast, scoring an opening spot for John Legend and landing a high-profile gig at the All Good Festival. “We played in front of some 16,000 people and [saxophonist] Gordon Jones and I sat in with Michael Franti,” Williams says. “2005 has been really good to us.”
Mike Greenhaus www.djwmusic.com