The Open G String - Features: The Big 69

The Forecast – This Victory Records artist is one of the better acts out there at the moment. They’re a mellow-ish mix of The Foo Fighters and Straylight Run, with more acoustic guitars and a great male/female vocalist mix. Definitely something you should check out.

Flogging Molly - These Irish Punk veterans are back in the game and looking to really kick a lot of ass in 2008. With a brand new album due for release in March and a huge tour to follow, these folksters are going to get even more notoriety this time around.

fORMER - This band produces catchy as fuck power-pop rock songs in droves. Denny Smith and his motley crew of Nashville rockers are hitting the studio this February and we are confident that the finished product of their efforts won’t disappoint. fORMER is soon to be featured here in the next installment of our Open G-Cast, playing their song "Lies" which will give you a taste of what these guys are really capable of.

Four Year Strong – Four Year Strong's newest release is awesome for two reasons: The first is that it oozes with energy and creativity. The second is that it was released on one of our staffer’s birthdays. (Don't you dare tell us that this is not a valid reason to declare an album awesome. This is an amazing reason. So, there.) These ass kickers are playing out all over the place in 2008 and we think that they will end up having a huge year this year. Plus, they all have totally sweet beards. If you like your music sung by artists who could easily be stunt doubles for a feature on Vikings, Four Year Strong is your band.

Framing Hanley - This rocking quintet is rising fast in the Nashville scene for many good reasons. They have a very polished sound that is destined to find a home in rock radio. They should turn a lot of heads this year as they build off of their residual momentum from their 2007 release, The Moment, which you can stream in its entirety on their purevolume page.

Gnarwolf - This thrash metal band from Blacksburg is primed to really take off in 2008. This band can rightfully be called dude-thrash, as it consists of a bunch of rad dudes doing rad, dudely things and singing about doing rad, dudely acts (such as chugging beers and moshing.) Their music is exceptional, showcasing raging guitar riffs, big, loud bridges, and a classic power metal scream that will make any metal head want to head bang along with them. If you can catch them live, be sure to stick around for the after party.

Hot Chip - These guys have been called “pleasant-electro” and that description fits them pretty well. Other well-fitting (but significantly less pompous) adjectives to describe Hot Chip may include: “awesome,” “catchy,” and “poised to have a big year in 2008.”

Ida - Beautiful, beautiful music. You (and everyone else you know who is into indie music) will fall in love instantly with the amazingly smooth vocal harmonies and the simply high quality songs that flow forth from Ida. With a new album, Lovers Prayers making its way into stores January 29th, Ida easily makes our list of bands to watch out for.

Illbotz - This is the most fun you’ll have at a hip-hop show, we promise. Their newest release, Ringtones for Rotary Phones, is as clever as it is fun and if you happen to check out their live show, there's a reasonably high likelihood that you’ll end up either getting laid or getting drunk on PBR (or both)!

Ingrid Michaelson - This lovely New York girl has an unforgettably sweet voice. Mix that with her indie-pop/folk music, and real emotional magic is made. She’s touring virtually everywhere in the states this year and we highly recommend you check her out. It will be more fun that what you normally do on a Saturday night, we promise. If you can't do that, just pay attention to your television. She's already been featured on a number of soundtracks and commercials.

Jarris - Pop-punk at its best. Seriously. If that scene manages to hold on just a little while longer, this band may be able to breathe some new life in it with a fresh approach and a slew of seriously catchy songs that will make you want to jump around and shake your ass.

Jason Collett - Collett is yet another Broken Social Scener breaking out into his own solo career. He has a new album called Here’s to Being Here, which might just be one of the most anticipated indie albums of the early new year. We're expecting it to achieve (and possibly exceed) its lofty expectations.

Ladytron - This electro/new wave band has been steadily plugging out good music since the late nineties. 2007 was good to them; they were featured on NIN’s Year Zero remixed album and they should ride that momentum to have an even better year in 08. They’re dropping a new album on us in July, which is only an added bonus. You and everyone you know need to give these guys a whirl. We think you’ll dig it.

Lex Vegas - With a new release, Death of a Gentleman, in tow, this metal band looks to conquer 2008 and kick some ass while they're doing it. If you’re a fan of loud guitars, metal, shredding, awesomeness, beer, crackwhores, and loud music in general you need to check this band out before they’re officially the next big thing in underground metal.

Limbeck – Quite possibly the hardest working band out there. Their newest self-titled CD is amazing. This band plays more gigs than there are days in the year, so you really should see when they’re coming through your town.

Love in October – If you’re rolling your eyes at the thought of yet another power-pop band that has been compared to The Plain White T’s working their way into the mainstream; maybe you should stop and think again. Love in October has been working with Ed Rose, the extremely well respected producer that has spent time with other great acts such as The Get Up Kids, Motion Picture Soundtrack, and The Appleseed Cast. Their debut release, Pontus, The Devil, and Me, may end up being a guilty pleasure by the end of the year, but you can expect to hear it blaring from stereos and car windows this summer at the beach.

Lovers + Liars - Nashville veteran Stacy Hogan (of Spout fame), has dived headfirst into his new project, Lovers + Liars, resulting in a splash of critically acclaimed music. The introspective and darker outpouring from Hogan is winning over fans and he’s found himself on the short list of Nashville’s potentially next big things.

Metric - I don’t think you can physically shake your ass enough to this band and their addictive, electronic music as you listen to their tunes. Metric is female-fronted electronic indie-pop that you’ll be hooked on immediately, we promise.

Matt Costa – Singing upbeat, folky pop songs that often carry noticeably heavier themes in the lyrics, Matt Costa’s sophomore album, due for release early this year, will be an easy hit for fans of bands like The Shins, The Cold War Kids, and Rogue Wave.

The Morning Code - Already featured by The Open G-String, this band plays a really good mixture of layered and subtly detailed modern rock music in a fresh and original way. These guys rock, and they’ll surely have a big breakout year in 2008.

The Most Serene Republic – There are seven members of this band and it often sounds like there may be double or triple that, thanks to plenty of elaborately layered melodies and clever instrumentations. Sharing a record label with Broken Social Scene does not automatically make this band good, but an abundance of catchy melodies, perfect harmonies, and song structures that will make you stop and ask, “Wait, what the hell?” are enough to make a big splash in the indie music scene on their U.S. tour this year.

The Mountain Goats - There’s a ton of hype surrounding The Mountain Goats this year. With a new release dropping February 19 entitled Heretic Pride we think that all the attention and buzz will be justified. John Darnielle is an amazing lyricist and we (and everyone else in the indie music nation) are highly anticipating everything that 2008 brings for him.

My Bloody Valentine - The reunion that we never thought would happen looks like it might actually solidify this year. With any luck, this will be the best year MBV has had since they last recorded anything, which was a cover song included on Whore: Tribute to Wire in 1995.

The National - The National is yet another band that dropped an incredible album on us in 2007 (Boxer). Look for them to build on that album's success to new heights this year. This band is great at down to earth folky rock music. Something about their songs just screams "real" and "accessible" to anyone who appreciates good music. Imagine if Bruce Springsteen sat in with Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah for a spell and you might have the sound close to that of The National.

Kate Nash – Kate Nash sounds a bit like a cross-breed of Lilly Allen and Regina Spektor, but she’s definitely not copying either one. She sings songs with a dry, sardonic, sassy sense of humor that also happen to be mind numbingly catchy. She’s already created quite a bit of buzz on Myspace, and you can expect to start hearing her new album, Made of Bricks all over the place very, very soon.

Panda Bear - (of Animal Collective) graced us with a great album, Person Pitch, last year. We expect him to carry that momentum on to the best year he’s had since he attended Boston U.

Ramming Speed - These Boston metal heads take thrash and beat it into the way it’s really supposed to be played. This TDB Records product knows how to party down and thrash it up all at the same time. With an intense first quarter tour on the calendar and a really good new album in tow these guys will be melting faces a-plenty this upcoming year.