WHEELS 2.0: THIS YEAR’S MODEL

New format for the new year… We know, we’re a little late, but we’ve decided that it’s time to freshen things up a bit. We’ll continue to report on the latest and greatest acts that hit our desks, but starting this week we’re gonna give you more. We’re always interested in finding out what the lawyers are doing and what the managers are signing, and to that end, we’d like to introduce what we think of as Wheels 2.1.

ONE TO WATCH
Liam and Me: These indie popsters from Philadelphia just played a sold-out show at N.Y.’s Mercury Lounge, and the buzz is building quickly. They went into the studio with producer Wired All Wrong (Hellogoodbye, White Tie Affair, Beck) and mixer Mark Endert (Maroon 5, The Fray, Fiona Apple). Their single, “Say It Out Loud,” is available on iTunes; you can take a look at the music video on the band’s MySpace page: www.myspace.com/liamandme.

BAND UPDATES
Telepathe: We hipped you to this IAMSOUND band a couple of months ago, and they’ve just let us know they’ll be doing a series of East Coast dates with Ladytron and The Faint in April. The tour coincides with the release of their album, Dance Mother, in stores April 14.

The Jakes: Also featured in Wheels last fall, this group recently signed to Red Light Management and has already showcased for Roadrunner, Paradigm, The Agency Group, CAA, Warner/Chappell, EMI Music Publishing and several majors.

ON DECK
Operation Aloha: Members of Gomez (Dajon Everett, Ian Ball, Olly Peacock), Phantom Planet (Sam Farrar), Maroon 5 (James Valentine and Jesse Carmichael) and eight other career musicians have come together to form this extremely large band, with a self-titled debut hitting April 7. According to the press release: “Each musician flew to the beautiful island of Maui to live in a strange compound of tree houses and record with friends whom they respect and share common interests with. They decided to plug in some instruments and see what happens. The end result is a collection of songs that captures the tranquility, freedom and spirit of Hawaii.”

Like a Storm: Here we have three brothers from Vancouver who recently completed an album with producer/engineer extraordinaire Mike Plotnikoff, whose credits include Flyleaf, Daughtry, Three Days Grace, My Chemical Romance, and inked a deal with Prospect Park. Their first single, “Chemical Infatuation,” impacting radio this month, is right where you'de expect it to be: www.myspace.com/likeastormband.

LAWYER BABBLE
Our good buddy Ben McLane, Esq., who frequently turns us on to intriguing new music, tells us that his band ALLSTAR is showcasing at the Knitting Factory this Saturday at 8:15. Think the Jonas Brothers meets Blink-182. For guest list and more info, email [email protected]. For a taste, go to www.myspace.com/allstar