WHEELS 2.0 SEES YOU IN SEPTEMBER

Following our Labor Day weekend best of the best, we come atcha this week with updates on some of the bands we have been following, along with a look at two other groups making some big noise. If you still haven’t gotten the memo about the Next Up Contest co-sponsored by HITS and Sonicbids, it’s not too late to enter as we have pushed back the deadline date for submissions to Sept. 10. Check it out here and keep sendin’ us music at [email protected]

BAND UPDATE: Little Jackie continues to build a buzz overseas as they had the #14 single and were #12 on the radio charts last week. They will be coming out to L.A. later this month for an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres and a show at The Roxy on Sept. 23. They are still in XXL rotation on VH1 and Heavy on BET Jams. www.myspace.com/littlejackiemusic

The Graduate: These pop-rockers from Springfield, IL, have been garnering a huge buzz and following since they signed with indie label ICON MES. They have toured with heavies such as Nine Inch Nails, Simple Plan, Secondhand Serenade and stints on Warped and Lollapalooza. They were the #1 most added on CMJ College Radio Chart. It is clear to see why this band is buzzin’, especially at mtvU, where they won the Freshman Contest. We like these guys and suggest you give them a listen. www.myspace.com/thegraduate

Terry Lynn: Ahh, the Last Gang guys just keep feeding us massively talented artists who have really cool stuff going on. The environment in which Lynn grew up—Waterhouse, an impoverished neighborhood in Kingston, Jamaica—provides the social backdrop for much of her writing. Her sound has been described as Daft Punk meets Marley meets Malcolm X. Once you hear her music and understand her message, it will truly strike your soul. Terry speaks for those who can’t speak—the poor, the underprivileged and the disenfranchised. Her video for the single “Kingstonlogic,” featuring photography by Peter Dean Rickards of the Afflicted Yard, can be seen online at www.kingstonlogic.com. Her album, Kingstonlogic 2.0, is set to drop Sept. 23. We love artists who stand up for their beliefs and bring something positive to bring to the scene, and Terry Lynn is doing just that. (www.myspace.com/terrylynnkingstonlogic)

BAND REVIEW BY OUR UNDERAGED CLUB CRAWLER SAMANTHA HISSONG: Star 98.7 recently had a third run of their battle-of-the-bands-esque competition, Rockstar. The opening band (and winner of the night) was rock group Frontrunner, made up of four 15-16-year-old guys. Normally, when you think of a young, up-and-coming L.A. rock group, you think of the whiney-voiced teenager and his/her punk and/or indie band. Frontrunner takes its potential and gives it a vintage kick. Covering such chestnuts as Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” and Aerosmith’s “Train Kept a Rollin’,” this promising outfit brings back the true rock & roll thought to be long gone. These hot new musicians include a bangin’ drum sound, sexy keyboard rhythms, a guitarist extremely reminiscent of Slash, and a lead singer with that classic Steven Tyler charisma and blues yowl. If you like music that makes you want to rock out when you’re all alone in your PJs or in the pit at the Whiskey, check out www.myspace.com/frontrunnerrocks AND THEN if you like what you hear, vote for them on the Rockstar III section of star987.com.