While All Parrallels' guitarist Adam Kestler may not pen the lyrics to his band's songs, he has no problem divulging their meanings. Kestler, vocalist/bassist Larry Chiswick and drummer Anthony "Ant" Amodeo have been "musically connected," as Kestler puts it, since they were in 7th grade, so it's no wonder that he could reveal that their track "Nymphomaniac" really is about a sexual encounter of Chiswick's. The song, which includes references to "candle wax, mouse traps" and "whips, chains, dirty names," is, according to Kestler, "exaggerated a little bit for entertainment purposes."

Such vivid details are commonplace on the band's recent "You Won't Feel A Thing" EP. "Load A Gun And Kill Me," a track that details the many ways that Chiswick would like to be killed (bomb, disease and strangulation are all mentioned), "was written during a time when [All Parallels was] negotiating some contracts with a shady company, and it was just such a long and ridiculous process," Kestler explains. "It's about the frustrations of dealing with bullshit. Everyone can relate. Luckily we ended up not working with that company."

The stark simplicity of "You Won't..." may scare some away. Although the three-piece's sophomore release is full of beefy guitar licks and acute hooks, there isn't any hardcore breakdowns or studio trickery to be found on any of its five songs. The band's straight-shooter approach is evident across the board. "We usually put together and headline our own shows," Kestler replies when asked what bigger bands AP has opened for.

Kestler says the band is currently in talks with several record labels, but for the time being are focusing on performing throughout the Northeast (namely New York and Boston) and recording new music. The band has 13 new tracks written and intends to record some of them in the near future.

Of the band's long-term goals, Kestler and All Parallels just want "to keep playing live and perfecting our live show. We also just want to keep putting out records that we are happy with and that rock," he says.

19. Last summer, things appeared to be good to go for Canadian rock group The Livid. On the heals of the 2002-released "Fear of Fading" EP, the quartet looked set to ink a deal with Atlantic Records. But, according to founding guitarist Chris Schembri, the band's singer and drummer were more concerned with other matters, so he gave them both the boot; bassist Shane Told's exit soon followed. Now, a year later, Schembri and three new musicians from very different backgrounds are back to carry on with the same name and a very familiar sound. While The Livid's previous material was often too drawn out and lacking in the hook department, the band's latest batch of recordings recall Incubus and Hoobastank with an undeniable punk urgency.

As the band waits to finish up work on its debut EP with producer Murray Daigle (Wide Mouth Mason, Toe), Schembri took some time out to speak briefly about how the old Livid got to be the new Livid.

LOWDOWN: It sounds like a lot has changed since last summer. I heard you guys had a few contract offers on the table, then your singer left, and now it looks like the other original members aren't in the group anymore either.
CHRIS: We only had one record deal on the table. I kicked the singer out [because] he was more interested in school; same with the drummer. The bass player (Shane Told) left because he was in another band (Silverstein) that ended up getting a record deal (Victory Records). The band is more professional now. We're all really focused now and rehearse all the time and play shows all the time.

How did the new line-up come together?
I met Christian (Kennedy, bass) through some mutual friends. I also knew him as the guy behind the counter at the music store where I eventually started teaching. He used to to play bass and sing in a band called Shifty. I asked him to join the band after Shane left. Our managers then found Adam (Benning, drums) and Justin (Humes, vocals). Adam used to play drums in a signed band called Smoother (Nettwerk America). Justin won that popstars contest a couple years ago. (ED: In other words, he was in a boy band and is relatively famous in Canada. Visit: http://justin_humes4ever.tripod.com/ to understand the hillarity of this.) He hated the band (Velvet Empire) [the show's producers] put him in so he asked my manager if he could audition for us.

What does the immediate future hold for the Livid?
We're just doing what bands do now. We're playing as many shows as we can and record new material whenever we can.

18. Besides the fact that Los Angeles' Onesidezero has toured with Incubus, Soulfly and 311, they're just the same as any other unsigned rock band. Despite releasing one of 2001's more promising rock debuts ("Is This Room Getting Smaller?"), the band split with Maverick Records last year. They've since toured the nation twice (with Dredg and Trapt) and released two sets of stellar demo recordings produced by Jim Wirt (Incubus).

16. Featuring three-fourths of Hollywood Records' Simon Says, Key To Arson continues to churn out emotive, hook-laden hard rock for the masses. Progressing with each batch of demos recorded--the most recent of which were produced by Orgy's Ryan Hewitt for Island/Def Jam--the band has shed its emocore edge for a more mature, straight forward rock leaning that isn't short on aggression.

15. The music of Georgia's Cloud Ten acts much like a head-on collision between alternative/hard rock acts like Our Lady Peace and emocore artists such as Finch. The band is set to release a 14-song full-length effort shortly, which should aptly showcase their aggressive and infectious brand of rock.

Since last winter, the band has completed two national tours, the most recent being the "Blurring The Lines" tour. According to Spiritfall guitarist Christian Spencer, such tours are possible due to "a lot of hard work, planning and Internet support. Months of booking and promotion goes into every date. Contacting venues, networking with bands and coordinating promotion with our street team is a ton of work."

He adds: "Everything that we have learned from the previous...tours has gone into this one. We are getting better at putting things together and promoting an entire tour. As an unsigned band, organizing this kind of thing is very hard to do and rarely done."

Despite recently parting ways with long-time bassist Ben Scouza, the band intends to record a new full-length album in the months ahead.

13. Recalling a less poppy and more ambient version of early U2, California-based March (known as Halo Grey before the addition of singer Paul Schulte) recently completed work on its debut EP release. Produced by Jeordie “Twiggy Ramirez” White of Marilyn Manson/A Perfect Circle fame, the recordings prove the band to be one of today's most enchanting melodic rock artists.

12. Far from your typical chorus-driven modern rock drivel, Hollywood's All Rise shine with soaring melodies, captivating and intricate guitar parts/hooks, and a truly amazing singer/songwriter that holds nothing back when writing or vocalizing his lyrics. While All Rise may vaguely recall acts such as Sinch, Dredg and Mad At Gravity, their sound is truly like nothing else out there...pure emotion at its finest.

Formed in May 2001 in Smyrna, Tenn., Scatter The Ashes came together when a persistent Daryl Stamps, now the band's frontman, bothered then-Point of You? drummer Napier to work on some music with him. "I finally committed myself to helping him out," Napier says. The band soon became a full-time project for all of its members (Guitarist Bob Farmer and McCord round out the group), and, as Napier puts it, "Somehow it evolved into this."

After recording some odds-and-ends demos and touring sparingly in and around the Southeast, the band, with the help of some rather questionable tactics, is preparing to make a more full-fledged entrance to the National rock scene beginning this fall. While extensive tour plans are still being finalized (some dates with Eyeball Records' Oval Portrait are confirmed), the band is hoping to release a full-length effort some time early next year.

The six tracks the band most recently recorded with producer John Naclerio (My Chemical Romance) recall as much of the melodic hardcore genre as they spit directly in its face. While shards of the band's earlier, more-hardcore material are evident on their latest recordings, the heaping helpings of groove-laden riffage, swooning vocal lapses and tribal-tinged drumwork are sure to spoil the fun for any A&Rs looking for Poison The Well part duex.

With tracks like the pulsating, hook-laden "Christine Daae"--a track that almost perfectly melds the vocal stylings of Vaux (though more melodic) with the haunting, hypnotic harmonies of early Incubus and the spastic dynamics of Glassjaw--Scatter The Ashes does have its mainstream appeal, but it's with more off-kilter numbers like "Affinity" that they fully demonstrate their vast promise to the music world.

In "Affinity," Stamps' vocal delivery sways from a melodious croon to an almost spoken-word spat as the rest of the band alters times, tempos and tempers at a moment's notice. Everything is done in such a furious, hailstorm manner that the song's "chorus" somehow brings to mind the infamous tagline from the Buffalo Springfield classic, "For What It's Worth." (Listen closely and you may hear something along the lines of "Stop, hey, what's that sound, everybody look what's going down.") Napier recalls the song after some coaxing, but hardly lists it among the band's varied influences that include The Cure, the band Cream, and Wu-Tang Clan and their song "C.R.E.A.M."

Of the band's latest recordings, Napier says: "We've kind of evolved into a band that I think all of us would be interested in hearing. It's pretty much just the natural curse of being a band, it took us a year to really find our niche and get comfortable with one another and [with] what we wanted to portray to an audience under this outfit."

And while the band is currently without a label, there's no question that those in $500 suits share the band's excitement for their music. "We've talked to a few different labels," Napier confesses, "but no handshakes have been made. I feel like we should have some sort of news concerning a label of some sort by the end of this year."

Making the best of what could otherwise only be described as a gas-wasting situation, the band recently went from having a show canceled in Alabama to performing on an Atlanta Warped Tour date. "We had a show canceled," Napier says, "and the Warped Tour was close so we decided to try our luck. [We] got there at 7 a.m., everybody was loading in so we just followed a tourbus in and got through the gate easy as hell." Once in the venue, the band charmed their way onto the tour's 'Radioactive' stage with the help of their friends in The Goodwill (Negative Progression Records). "We kind of flirted with [The Goodwill's stage manager] and she was like 'okay, you guys wanna play at [noon]?' and we were like 'yep!'"

The band's Warped performance, which took place minutes after the gates opened in front of the venue's only entrance, went "excellent," according to Napier. "We got asked to do the next three days [of Warped], but we already had other dates booked," he admits with a certain amount of regret.