Recently I stumbled onto a new band that really appealed to one facet of my wide range of musical tastes. All American Rejects, playing a mix of punk rock and pop, made their way into my CD collection almost unnoticed, but definitely not unheard.
While the band’s sound might not appeal to everyone, they’re one that I would suggest at least trying. The Reject’s songs have quite a range on their self-titled album, which debuted last October, and have the potential to appeal to an equally diverse group of people.
The band of Oklahoma natives is composed of Tyson Ritter (vocals/bass), Nick Wheeler (guitars/keyboard), Mike Kennerty (guitar), and Chris Gaylor (drums). They released their first independent album in the spring of 2000, which gained them air time on local radio stations and helped start their home-town fan base.
Eventually the band worked their way up to licensing on MTV’s “Undressed,” opening for such bands as The Flaming Lips and Caroline’s Spine. The summer of 2001 hailed another new song release and their first tour of the Midwest. The end of this tour resulted in their record signing deal with Doghouse Records.
Doghouse Records has also signed other popular emo groups such as The Get Up Kids and River City High. Admittedly, The Rejects do have a similar sound to these other bands, but they have somewhat broken away from being another copy-cat band.
The Rejects began their national tour on January 21, and have dates scheduled until March 3, when they will play in New York City.
As I said before, All American Rejects might not fit your taste of “good music,” but I tend to lean towards bands such as this that sound like quasi-whiney high school bands who made it big. I don’t know what it is about them that catches my interest, but maybe its because I have never been very muscial, so I feel bad for not giving them a chance. Call me crazy.
