Official Website: www.marchtheband.com Label: Independent Location: Orange County, CA Similar To: U2, Quitter Audio: "Barracuda" "Lay It Down"

March: When Halo Grey emerged on the scene in late 2001 the band, which featured former 20 Dead Flower Children vocalist D-hauz within their ranks, had no trouble generating a buzz for themselves with a well received independent EP. However, despite some early success it was only a mere matter of months before the band broke up, leaving many fans wondering what went wrong. While D-hauz quickly went on to join Vynegar little has been heard from the rest of the band - until now. Enter March, a fastly up and coming new group comprised of the instrumental section of Halo Grey along with ex-Standing Hawthorn frontman Paul Shulte. With a demo currently floating around and the buzz already picking up, this substantially different musical venture looks to bode well for all involved.

Official Website: www.mp3.com/modflanders Label: Independent Location: McLean, VA Similar To: Mr. Bungle, Glassjaw Mp3's: "My Dad Shaves His Beamus Every Kwanzaa" "The Zimbabwean Sea Shanties Of The Swashbuckler" "Bill Nye The Science Guy Makes Me Wanna Cut Myself"

Mod Flanders Conspiracy: With emo and hardcore currently all the rage one might have known such a turn of events that the Mod Flanders Conspiracy present would have come sooner or later. A tongue in cheek take on the style, the group inflect the genre with the cartoonish funk and playfulness of such acts as Mr. Bungle and Dog Fashion Disco while also presenting something refreshing in the process. With an EP titled "The Tragic Urn Spill" on the way one can only expect the madness to ensue.

Official Website: www.johnnyrook.com Label: Independent Location: Minneapolis, MN Similar To: Mad At Gravity, Coldplay, Staind Audio: "Impostor"

Johnnyrook: A stirring and mature blend of emotional rock, Johnnyrook's acoustic tinged music is both charming and enlightening. Featuring members of Mercy's Own fame within their ranks, the group only originally came to be in July of this year but their past experiences performing together definitely shine through. With an EP "Near Far" recorded and a few shows already played, the band look to be able to carve out a considerable audience for themselves if given the proper attention.

Official Website: www.43music.net Label: Independent Location: Atascadero, CA Similar To: Lostprophets, Shortie, Demon Hunter Mp3's: "Narrow Logic"

43: Despite a few line-up changes, California's 43 have been around more or less since 1998 and during the time since they have put out a string of EP's, the latest of which, "Narrow Logic" seems to capture their sound the best. Moody with hardcore tendencies, the band strive to remain melodically accessible, making the music both energetic and heavy at any given moment. With a bit of major label interest already under their belt and a steady regional touring regiment in place, their 4 years of hard work just may pay off in the near future.

Official Website: www.theblacksea.cc Label: Lovitt Records Location: ????, ?? Similar To: Engine Down, Fugazi Audio: "Ghost Lanterns"

The Black Sea: A new project featuring members of Fugazi and Frodus fame, The Black Sea are an enigmatic and downtrodden musical experience who use brooding atmospheres and detached instrumentation to reel the listener in. Both dark and engaging at any given moment, the band's self-titled debut EP saw a release in October and the group are now currently setting their sights on a full-length offering. With such high profile talent amongst the indie ranks present fans are sure to take notice, but for once in a long time names of those involved are not the only reason to check out a band as the music here is equally as interesting.

Comment On The Learning Curve (Last Updated 4:39 PM MST 12/02/2002)