Alex Grout: Somewhere between Teddy Geiger and Chris Carabba is Alex Grout. Though he leans more towards Teddy Geiger he's emotive and passionate enough to display that hint of emo working for him. To his credit as well, Grout seems incredibly hard-working and more often than not hard work pays off. I don't expect Grout to be your new favorite singer, but I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up on your next mixtape.
http://www.whoisalexgrout.com

Dante Cimadamore: I've been hearing about this guy from the Oneonta music folk for awhile. Cimadamore is a truly gifted vocalist who writes vintage acoustic pop songs that harken back to the days of the 70's singer/songwriter movement. I'm told his live show is quite compelling too. I expect big things. http://www.myspace.com/dantecimadamore

Brothermandude: Okay so the name is extremely lame. Forgive them for that. Led by Bahranian-born singer/songwriter Shake, the London-based band features a rhythm section and a guitarist who have worked with some of Britain's biggest bands. The band probably most closely straddes the classic rock vibe with their dancy, seering grooves. heck 'em out. http://www.brothermandude.com

Lackey: Ok, so Lackey is not a band anymore. And that sucks. But in 1999-2000 they were an up-and-comer in the Southeast music scene and had the potential to break out and be huge. With shades of U2 creeping in on just about every song, the band had both the musical finesse and the lyrical firepower to make a dent in the radio charts. If you can find a copy of their CD at the AwareStore.com Do yourself a favor and buy it.

My Friend Steve: This was another breakout band that just never went anywhere. On their brilliant disc Hope and Wait, produced by Neal Avron (who went on to work with Yellowcard and others) the acoustic-based MFS talks about love lost and all that good stuff. Most of the songs are mid-tempo, but the bouncy pop-smash Charmed was featured as the theme song to the TV show of that same name. The theme song was later changed and MFS broke up. They were on the once promising Mammoth Records label and the CD is probably still available. The song All in All is still one of my all time favorites. Cheers to Steve Burris, wherever he is these days.