WHEELS 2.0 IS FEELING COCKY ABOUT THIS WEEK’S MENU

Jesse has finally returned from the Big Apple after a stressful week of running around with NYC rock band metalkpretty, who are now very close to inking their first record deal. As for Wheels, the talent level just keeps improving, and this week’s edition may be one of the best yet, as we feel strongly that most of these acts could make an impact this year! Keep feeding our inbox, and don’t hesitate to let us know if our musical opinions suck… We won’t care, but tell us anyway. [email protected]

ONE TO WATCH
Jason Derulo (www.myspace.com/jasonderulo): New sounds are breaking out of hot music hub Miami with this young talent. He’s hooked up with multi-platinum producer J.R. Rotem (Sean Kingston, Rihanna, Rick Ross, Leona Lewis, Dr. Dre) for his debut album, dropping this summer on Beluga Heights/Warner Bros. Stylistically, Jason’s got that great R&B groove with a splash of T-Pain and Justin Timberlake, but he gives it a unique twist, which makes his sound relevant in the international, R&B and pop genres. At just 20 years old, Jason is making his move into the spotlight as an artist and writer and has already shared the stage with artists like T-Pain and Akon. He’s made contributions to Lil Wayne, Sean Kingston and Danity Kane, and first single “Whatcha Say” will impact radio the end of this month. Get a sneak peak at what’s about to break at Wango Tango this weekend, where Jason will be featured on the New Artist stage. If you make it, give us a review.

ON DECK
All the Day Holiday (www.myspace.com/allthedayholiday) is an indie-rock five-piece from Cincinnati in the vein of The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie. They definitely caught our attention this past week at Bamboozle, where they played one of the night’s strongest sets. Signed to Indie Ink Star Records, this band needs to be on your radar. Check out their MySpace page and let us know what you think.

Still Time (www.myspace.com/stilltimeband): Get familiar with this fantastic organic jam band from SLO that has exploded from local notoriety to a rapidly growing regional and national presence. Best of all, they’ve built their following the old-fashioned way—by word of mouth. They recently opened for UB40 at Santa Barbara’s Arlington Theatre and have a solid West Coast tour booked through the summer, hitting venues in L.A., Santa Barbara, Seattle and more. Catch a ride on this groove train; you won’t regret it.

BAND/ARTIST UPDATES
Sugar Red Drive (www.myspace.com/sugarreddrive) has just signed a distribution deal with MRI/Sony/RED and are gearing up for a summer tour that kicks off in N.Y. June 25. Frontman Archit will even be singing the national anthem at the WNBA game June 6 (look out, ladies!). They’re also back in the studio with Pat Gasperini working on bonus tracks and B-sides for giveaways and radio contests. Check out their digs and find out when you can catch them live.

BABBLE
SoCal-based indie-rock band Sleep for Sleepers (www.myspace.com/sleepforsleepers) have signed to Dreamnt Music/Facedown Records (distributed by Sony/RED).