ONE REPUBLIC

With over 14,000,000 plays, One Republic has been heralded as one of the top bands on MySpace for over a year—without a record in stores. GRAMMY®-nominated writer Ryan Tedder has achieved an impressive resumé, concocting songs with everyone from Natasha Bedingfield to Paul Oakenfold to Timbaland. Epic and moving, One Republic is more than a rock band, with cello, piano and acoustic guitar highlighting their instrumentation. The songwriting is impeccable. The debut LP is coming late 2007 through Interscope. Recently, the band performed on the hit TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.” The sky is the limit for this emotional rock outfit. myspace.com/onerepublic

BUSHWICK BILL

To say that Bushwick Bill was in my “least likely to have a miraculous conversion” category is a vast understatement. In the ’90s he was part of the Geto Boys, a Houston group known for some of the most hardened and offensive lyrics of its era. Yet, BB has in fact come to acknowledge his Higher Power and Savior and is now known as a Christian rapper, with a new album on the way late this year. To anyone familiar with his past, this is no small story. Though lacking in stature, Bill has always been known for being high on heart. His mixture of old-school rhyme and storytelling is both tongue-and-cheek and quite entertaining. Whether you are a fan of hip-hop or not, Bushwick Bill is worth investigating. myspace.com/therealbushwickbill

HAMMOCK

If you enjoy atmosphere and ambience a la Explosions in the Sky and Sigur Rós, I can almost guarantee you will devour Hammock. This Nashville duo combines electronic elements with live instruments to produce a billowing cascade of enchanting journeys on Raising your Voice... Trying to Stop an Echo. It’s been called experimental as well as space rock, but I am just going to go ahead and label it “good.” Their music has been praised by the general market press and provided a good portion of the music for NBC’s coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics. It makes me think of the muted sound of human voices speaking amid snowbanks. hammockmusic.com

EDISON GLASS

These Long Island indie-rock stalwarts are prepared to release a brand-new album, Time is Fiction (Credential), Nov. 20. This dual-vocalist fronted crew is noted as a dynamic and potent live act, capturing a dimension of sincerity rare among “emo” circles these days. The new album was produced by Nathan Dantzler (Audio Adrenaline, Kids in the Way). The band’s earlier work featured the production skills of Brad Wood (Smashing Pumpkins, Sunny Day Real Estate). For fans of Mae and Number One Gun. edisonglass.com

Andrew Schwab is the lead vocalist and lyricist for the band Project 86. He is also the author of three books, as well as an independent journalist. Visit him online at myCCM.org/andrewschwab, andrewschwab.com and project86.com.