Maroon 5

A mix of polished pop/rock and neo-soul sex appeal made Maroon 5 one of the most popular bands of the 2000s, with such radio-ready songs as "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," and "Makes Me Wonder" all topping the charts worldwide.

Previously, bandmates Adam Levine (vocals/guitar), Jesse Carmichael (keyboards), Mickey Madden (bass), and Ryan Dusick (drums) had spent the latter half of the '90s playing in the modern rock outfit Kara's Flowers, releasing their debut album for Reprise Records while still attending high school. The record tanked, however, and Kara's Flowers found themselves dropped from the Reprise roster.

After briefly attending college, the bandmates regrouped as Maroon 5, added former Square guitarist James Valentine to the lineup, and embraced a more R&B-influenced sound. Several years later, the quintet had officially risen to the forefront of popular music with the multi-platinum releases of Songs About Jane and It Won't Be Soon Before Long. Songs About Jane propelled the band into the mainstream, but the album was not an immediate hit. Octone Records had signed the newly christened Maroon 5 in 2001, and the debut album Jane received a lukewarm response upon its release in June 2002. "Harder to Breathe" became a radio staple 17 months later and was soon followed by the omnipresent "This Love," whose steamy video (featuring frontman Levine and a barely clothed girlfriend) effectively wooed the TV-watching crowds at MTV. Songs About Jane finally entered the Billboard Top Ten in August 2004, more than two years after the album's release, and subsequent singles like "She Will Be Loved" and "Sunday Morning" helped the album move over 2.7 million copies by year's end. Maroon 5 toured exhaustively in support of Jane's slow-developing success, issuing two stopgap recordings -- 2004's 1.22.03.Acoustic and 2005's Live Friday the 13th -- while canvassing the world alongside the Rolling Stones and John Mayer. Their schedule was especially trying on percussionist Dusick, who sustained wrist and shoulder injuries and was often unable to play. By fall 2006, Dusick had been officially replaced by Matt Flynn (the former drummer for Gavin DeGraw), and the revised band released its sophomore effort in May 2007. It Won't Be Soon Before Long proved to be less popular than its predecessor (which had sold more than four million copies in the U.S. alone), but it still enjoyed double-platinum certification while spinning off the chart-topping single "Makes Me Wonder."

Maroon 5 had cemented their status as pop/rock heavyweights, and they now had the powerful connections to prove it. Released in late 2008, Call and Response: The Remix Album reinterpreted the band's catalog with remixes by such influential figures as Mary J. Blige, Mark Ronson, and Pharrell Williams

Their latest single “Misery” debuted at #44 on the Billboard charts. Check out the video for the song below.

Guster

Guster became one of the most successful bands to hit the East Coast scene in the late '90s. Through relentless touring and humorous stage banter with the crowd, the band developed a strong, grassroots fan base that spread rapidly with a strong presence on the Internet.

The Boston trio developed a unique sound with two acoustic guitars and a bongo set, successfully defying the typical industry pigeonholing. They wrote short, infectiously catchy tunes about love, suicide, and absurdist rock star lifestyles. Through word of mouth alone, the band sold over 40,000 copies of independent debut Parachute and their second effort, Goldfly.

Ryan Miller (guitar, vocals), Adam Gardner (guitar, vocals), and Brian Rosenworcel (percussion) met in 1992 at Tufts University, and played around the Boston area during college. Originally named Gus, the band adopted the appended Guster moniker after discovering several other national touring acts playing under the same name. In 1994 they recruited producer Mike Denneen for their debut album, Parachute, which The Boston Globe named Best Local Debut Album in 1995. Guster also appeared on Aware Compilation, Vol. 3 the same year. Within a couple of years from their inception, Guster became one of the most popular bands in the area. Named the Best Live Act at the Boston Music Awards in 1997, Guster was hailed as one of the greatest independent successes of the 1990s, achieving a reputation as one of the most reputable unpromoted bands of the decade. After releasing a second album, Goldfly, in March 1997, Guster continued a relentless touring schedule and sold out small clubs across the country. In 1998, Guster signed the first contract under an agreement between Sire Records Group and Hybrid Recordings. The group re-released Goldfly in April 1998 under the major-label contract and returned the following year with Lost and Gone Forever, which positioned the band for greater exposure, especially on the college level. Producer Roger Moutenot (Joseph Arthur, Sleater-Kinney, Yo La Tengo) assisted Guster in the studio for their fourth album. Keep It Together appeared in June 2003. The band spent the next year touring America several times over. Their CD/DVD set Guster on Ice: Live from Portland, Maine appeared May 2004. Two years later, Guster issued their fifth album, Ganging Up on the Sun. The sunny 12-song set also marked the proper debut of multi-instrumentalist Joe Pisapia as a permanent member of the group.