Wednesday, November 4, 2009 - 6:00pm

QUIETDRIVE
Minneapolis' Quietdrive has a proud and organic streak that continues to captivate. Some bands talk about work ethic. Quietdrive exhibits it. Since 2005, the band has made more than 900 appearances in front of every imaginable type of audience. With plans to dedicate another year to the road, and with its recent massive radio exposure to help raise awareness, Quietdrive starts its 9th national tour this fall.

THE HIGHER
Just because The Higher can bust out pop tunes, it doesn't mean that's what defines them. Their first two albums, Histrionics (2005) and On Fire (2007), branded the band's trademark sound of R&B and pure rock. "We fuse the rock and R&B that we know, and put it into our own words," founding member and bassist Jason "Face" Centeno says, citing Michael Jackson, The Dream, Al Green, Jimmy Eat World, and Maroon 5 as influences.

CORY LAMB