The Pat McGee Band is a rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed by frontman Pat McGee on the heels of his solo release From the Wood in 1995, the Pat McGee Band signed with Warner Bros. Records subsidiary Giant Records in 1999. Shine, the band's major-label debut, was released in 2000 with the national singles "Runaway" and "Rebecca". After two years of delays, the band released their second album with Warner, Save Me, in 2004. The band was dropped from the label that year and picked up by Kirtland Records. An enhanced Save Me is now being distributed through Kirtland with the radio single "Must Have Been Love".

Former guitarist and vocalist Al Walsh left the band in an amicable split at the end of 2001. Keyboardist and vocalist Jonathan Williams left in 2003 but rejoined the band in late 2005. Both were significant contributors to the band's sound, particularly in the form of backing vocals. The band didn't see another background vocalist until the 2003 addition of keyboardist/guitarist Todd Wright.

Longtime bassist John Small left the band in 2004. With Jonathan's return, Todd Wright has left the band. Todd is now finding success as the frontman of his own band, Getaway Car, where he's backed by guitarist Matt Miceli and Crix Reardon - while still a part of Pat McGee Band - on bass.

Drummer Chris Williams passed away peacefully in his home October 28th, 2006.

As of June 2007, the band has severed ties with Kirtland Records and is once again recording independently.

In Between proves that Van Dyk's heart remains in the clubs. "White Lies", his latest single, could be a contemporary pop number - but there's no mistaking that huge dancefloor beat. American clubgoers have taken to it already; the song hit #1 on the Billboard Top Dance Singles chart, was a Top 10 Soundscan single, and is currently storming its way onto mainstream playlists. There are plenty of mesmerizing progressive-trance tracks on In Between - but the set is marked by several dazzling collaborations. Ashley Tomberlin of Luminary appears on several cuts, Rea Garvey of chart-topping German band Reamonn sings on the gorgeous "Let Go", and the set culminates with a guest performance by David Byrne of Talking Heads.

There's a pretty famous set of pipes on "White Lies", too. The single features singer and actress Jessica Sutta - best known as the "Pin-Up" girl in the Pussycat Dolls. Sutta's sultry voice has become quite an in-demand commodity in pop and dance music circles recently: Kanye West signed her up to contribute vocals to Graduation, and she also graces Dave Audé's latest club singles. On "White Lies", she channels Madonna at her most forthright and seductive, and proves she can go toe-to-toe with Van Dyk's mammoth backbeat.

San Diego powerpop quartet Pensive is well known for their melodic sing-along songs rooted in the California pop-punk scene that spawned Green Day, The Offspring, and San Diego superstars blink-182. Having previously released two EPs, which they describe with tongue-in-cheek charm as "diet punk," Pensive expects to raise a few eyebrows with their new album Artifacts. Although continuing to embrace the naturally infectious tunes that make for a lively, energetic stage performance that is the hallmark of these California boys, Pensive promises that Artifacts will bring to the fore songs with new musical influences that might be unexpected for fans who know the band well.

It's true: the surest way to win our respect is to demonstrate a commitment to the D.I.Y. ethos. On that score, few come ahead of Pete Francis. Once a third of Dispatch - one of the most notable true independent acts in pop music history - Francis has built his solo career on the same relentless, resourceful D.I.Y techniques he learned with that storied Massachusetts band.

Although Dispatch's excellent albums were eventually re-released by a major label, they were all initially pressed by the band's own Bomber Records. Through touring and merchandising, Francis and the band sold thousands of copies of these albums without relying on any help whatsoever from the music industry. At the height of the group's fame, they were popular enough to launch a scholarship program for Zimbabwean children - and The Elias Fund has since grown into an internationally-recognized nonprofit organization. The band's farewell show was at the Hatch Shell amphitheatre in Boston - chronicled in Fabrication Films's The Last Dispatch concert ever held, and it cemented Francis's status as an underground hero. It didn't hurt that over 110,000 fans from all around the world showed up! The band also came together once again in 2007 for three consecutive sold out at shows at the legendary Madison Square Garden! These are all accomplishments that have never come close to duplication by any other independent act.

Largely ignored by critics during their heyday, Dispatch has since been "discovered" and fully rehabilitated by rock writers. By the time Pete Francis began releasing solo records, the cognoscenti had caught up with his excellent songwriting, smart lyrics, inventive guitar playing, and winning, conversational singing. Francis's albums have been warmly received by fans and critics alike; 2004's infectious Good To Finally Know topped many year-end "Best Of" lists, and the accompanying tour established Francis as a concert favorite in his own right. Iron Sea And The Cavalry, his upcoming release, builds upon the many successes of his prior work - the pop songs here are intimate, confessional, occasionally heartbreaking, and invariably memorable. Most crucially, the entire set crackles with the same defiantly-indie electricity that has always animated Francis's project.

Pete Francis may be a New Englander by birth, but he's spent plenty of time in the five boroughs; these days, he makes New York City his headquarters. His love of his adopted home is placed front and center in the dazzling, hypnotic clip for "Shooting Star And The Ambulance". Francis sings his song under the span of the Brooklyn Bridge (well-acquainted as he is with the symbolic power of outdoor performance), and, using some very adventurous editing effects, actually allows the electricity of the city to pass through him. Footage - shot from a moving vehicle - of recognizable city streets accompanies the shots of Francis and band in performance; later, the lights of streetlamps, storefronts, and automobiles in motion are superimposed over the musicians. In one memorable shot, Francis's silhouette becomes the frame for a motion-shot of a busy urban thoroughfare. Electricity streaks over his guitar; light, jumping and wiggling like sound-waves, dances around the drummer's brushes. New York's energy (literally) becomes lightning in the sky behind them - as the Manhattan streets possess the musicians, inspire them, bring them to life.

The Point One sound has been honed by countless live performances on stages large and small throughout the nation. The quartet has toured the country with Sevendust and Diecast, and set heads banging from coast to coast. They've rocked festivals in Seattle with Godsmack, Buckcherry, Candlebox, BlackLight Burns, and others. Washington State radio listeners are well-familiar with their songs: Point One's singles have aired on mainstream and active rock stations. But although their chops are impeccable, the respect of their peers is secured, and their stage show is second to none, the band wouldn't be anywhere near as exciting as they are if it weren't for the omnivorous tastes of the members.

Few heavy bands cite Metallica and Radiohead as equal influences, and fewer still can integrate pop melodies and rhythms into their sound without sacrificing any wattage. Unlucky Stars is a testament to Point One's flexibility as well as its fury. Catchy riffs come first, of course - but as long as the thunder is in place, these musicians are more than willing to experiment. Several songs on Unlucky Stars incorporate elements from progressive metal and even melodic ballads; others, like singles "Oxygen" and "Monochrome Mistress", are straight-ahead take-no-prisoners hard rock, reminiscent of G'n'R and classic Crue.

That's not to suggest - even for a second - that they aren't cleverly-assembled. "Monochrome Mistress" charges ahead, powered by a catchy, grinding bass and drum groove - but it ebbs and flows, too, building from a deceptively-placid bridge to a thunderous climax. Charismatic frontman Len Hotrum howls about a dangerous woman who's made a noose of his heartstrings; but he's not complaining, hell, he loves her for it. Behind him, the responsive rhythm section of Darren Howard and Chase Culp ratchets up the intensity, and the singer punctuates the verses with screams. By the time Keith Wright contributes his scalding six-string solo, the mix is already at a boil.

Porcupine Tree has been setting its own course for more than fifteen years, supporting their acclaimed albums with ferocious live shows and innovative visuals. By this point, it's almost a cliché to say so, but it bears repeating: there's no group quite like them, and their strict adherence to their own principles has won them a passionately devoted and genre-be-damned fan base. This latest salvo from Porcupine Tree is the combo's most focused and forceful effort yet: an attempt to grapple with technoconformity, the culture of self-medication, and the crushing boredom of 21st-century youth. If that sounds grim to you, make no mistake, it is - but Wilson and his band articulate their logic with chilling precision, and back up their dystopian insights with an instrumental attack that feels positively apocalyptic.Fear Of A Blank Planet ups the ante by bringing in Alex Lifeson and Robert Fripp to contribute guitar-work and soundscapes.

Danish filmmaker Lasse Hoile tethers Steven Wilson's narrative for "Fear Of A Blank Planet" to a clip that makes reference to contemporary controversies yet seems timeless nonetheless. His protagonists are a gang of teens who are disturbingly ordinary: they go to school, they play video games, they put posters on their wall and dream of escape. But they're also guzzling prescription pharmaceuticals by the handful, and when they do, their eyes turn the transparent pale blue of a television set on the fritz. They're receiving transmissions from another zone; they're unreachable, frightening, adversarial. . It's a portrait of modern nihilism that's at once extraterrestrial and all too believable. Don't avert your eyes from it: watch, and listen. For Porcupine Tree tour dates, please consult http://www.porcupinetree.com/tour.cfm

At the beginning of 2007, nobody in the States knew who the Racetrack Babies were. Now, after a highly successful U.S. tour, airplay on American left-of-the-dial stations, and an enthusiastic recommendation from MTV's Subterranean weblog, the Danish band has won devotees from Atlantic to Pacific. The future couldn't be brighter.

The American shows have left crowds breathless, and sent attendees rushing to their blogs for fevered recaps. But it was the very Nordic clip for "The Storm" that caught the attention of Subterranean. The website compared the video to recent work by the Shout Out Louds and Sigur Ros, and even came up with a plausible appellation for the aesthetic of these bands: "faerie indie". Director Jesper Isaksen has captured something strange and mystical in his nearly-straightforward performance clip, and presented the Racetrack Babies as a group with command over the natural world. Not for nothing does he shoot them in a forest glade - he wants to suggest that there's elemental magic in the music they make.