Blue October w/ Girl in a Coma and Justin Furstenfeld

The Texas modern-rock quintet Blue October draws from the lighter sounds of late-'90s alternative rock. With their swooning choruses and post-grunge angst, the band's breakout 2006 singles “Hate Me” and “Into the Ocean” played like relics from the MTV Buzz Bin circa 1997, so it's not surprising that they were embraced by alternative-radio formats that have never moved beyond that era. One of the group's most unexpected breaks came when <i>Twilight</i> scribe Stephenie Meyer heartily endorsed the band, introducing them to her massive fan base. Last year the group released its sixth studio album, the synth-drenched <i>Any Man in America</i>, which documents singer/guitarist Justin Furstenfeld's bitter divorce and the custody battle for his daughter.