Wax on Radio was born in 2004 when singer Mikey Russell, bassist Harrison Taylor, guitarist Bob Buckstaff and drummer Sammy Del Real hooked up in the tiny suburban Chicago music scene and immediately hit it off. The four band members were all living in and around the towns of Schaumburg and Lake Forest when Mikey put out word he was looking to start a new band. The foursome, who had never before met, came together through the recommendations of mutual friends. But on their first meeting they quickly realized they had much in common. Chicago has an illustrious music history, being home to the likes of the Smashing Pumpkins, Wilco, Kanye West and others, and that tradition can cast a huge shadow over new acts. But the members of Wax on Radio found their common ground further back in time and farther afield. Mikey and Bob collect old vinyl records and share an affection for rock radio’s golden age, the 1960’s and 70’s. Mikey thinks nothing of spending an afternoon tracking down now rare copies of Led Zeppelin or Prince, and in fact, does not own a cd player, only a turntable. Sammy is a versatile stickman who developed his chops touring the world playing Latin percussion with his dad, who is a pianist. He developed an appreciation of a diversity of styles, and it gives his drumming an added spice. Harrison, a former DePaul University student, is a student of classic rock and the great rock bassists like Jaco Pastorius and it shows in his nimble, flowing style. The quartet first jammed in the garage of Mikey’s mother’s house and Harrison and Mikey immediately began sharing songwriting duties.

According to Mikey, who is probably the most literate high school dropout in rock, his inspiration comes from everything from movies to great books, including the film ‘American Beauty’ and novels by Russian writer Dostoevsky and the existential philosopher Camus --particularly Camus’ ‘The Stranger’ and ‘Notes from the Underground.’ “I’m drawn to stories of people who get up and recapture their own lives,” Mikey explains. The band chose its name, as Mikey says, “as a way of paying homage to the great era of vinyl. It’s our statement on the music we like and the way we like to write songs.”

Wax on Radio’s debut album, Exposition, is an ambitious and successful blend of the band’s talents. Mikey’s keening voice is arrestingly heartfelt, and gives songs like ‘Today I Became a Realist’ and ‘The General of Medicine City’ a persuasive power. Bob Buckstaff’s guitar and Harrison Taylor’s bass propel the music forward at a fast pace, making nimble jumps into unpredictable tempo changes and stops and starts that keep the listener rapt.

Mikey’s lyrics have an existential edge to them, and touch on all sorts of moods, from dark to ecstatic, all delivered in searing poetry: “The sad face of dreamers waking to the life that passed them by,” he sings in ‘Today I Became A Realist.’ “They march in place straight to their graves.” He continues: “Sail on quick, fly past the world, find me a love.” The songs ‘Remembering,’ ‘Dawn Architects’ and ‘The Devil’ are three of the band’s best, blending sharply incisive lyrics with great hooks and masterful guitar work. Listeners to Exposition will be surprised that so much sound comes out of such young artists – Sammy is 18, Harrison 19, Bob is 22 and Mikey is the elder statesman at 23. There is a brightly lit road ahead for this young band. It is music that transcends easy labels.

And the reality of David Bowie is that he is one of the major pop music artists — with a capital “A” — of our time. Voted “the most influential artist of all time” by England’s New Musical Express , he has sold millions of records, appeared as an actor on the screen and Stage, and produced such other notable artists as Lou Reed, Mott The Hoople and Iggy Pop, to name some but hardly all of his varied accomplishments. As a measure of his impact on contemporary music, he was joined at Madison Square Garden in 1997 for a 50th birthday celebration by such other artists as Reed, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of the Cure, Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters and Frank Black of the Pixies. And then, of course, there are his songs: landmark numbers such as “Changes,” “Fame,” “Young Americans,” “Rebel Rebel,” “Let’s Dance,” “Heroes,” “Golden Years,” and more.

Born David Jones in the Brixton section of London, he picked up the saxophone as a teen due to his interest in jazz and then played with a succession of rock and pop bands before emerging in his own right as David Bowie in 1969 with the U.K hit. “Space Oddity.” On albums like The Man Who Sold The World , Hunky Dory , TheRise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars , Aladdin Sane , Pin-Ups and Diamond Dogs , Bowie took the nascent glam and metal movements to their wildest extremes, matched by some of rock’s most theatrical and incendiary stage shows. With 1975’s Young Americans , he took a left turn into American soul music, and scored his first #1 U.S. single with the title song. Bowie again changed tack with the modernist sound of Low and Heroes , and then conquered dance music on Let’s Dance in 1983.

Since then, Bowie has continued to stay at the cutting edge with a variety of albums, bands and tours, reigning as an elder statesman of modern rock and becoming one of the first major musical artists to pioneer an internet presence. For 2003’s Reality , his 26 th album, “I said to myself that I would just do a collection of songs that I was writing at the time,” says Bowie “A collection of songs with no through line, no undercurrent of any kind of narrative, no concept of tying it all together.” Nonetheless, it was an album that still reflected his continuing diversity and innovation.

Married to supermodel Iman, Bowie was in the midst of a 2004 world tour when, first, a pinched nerve and then, later, emergency heart surgery, caused him to cancel remaining dates. Now recovering, David Bowie will no doubt return to the public eye soon to continue to create more of the visionary artistry that has made him a man who has changed the musical world.

With the release of their new DreamWorks Records CD Sing the Sorrow, AFI proves they possess the talents to become turn-of-the-millennium icons. Produced by Butch Vig (Nirvana/Smashing Pumpkins/Garbage) and Jerry Finn (Green Day/Blink-182), Sing the Sorrow is every bit as sprawling as the band's California home. On tracks like "The Leaving Song," "Silver and Cold" and "The Great Disappointment," vocalist Davey Havoc, guitarist Jade Puget, bassist Hunter and drummer Adam Carson bring pop melodies to bear on intense punk rhythms and gothic lyricism.

For longtime AFI fans, Sing the Sorrow was a litmus test. The band's five previous releases were independently produced for the Nitro label. So when AFI announced they had signed with DreamWorks, some feared the band might lose their hardcore edge. But Sing the Sorrow silenced all doubters, debuting at #5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and resulting in simultaneous lead reviews in Rolling Stone, Spin and Alternative Press — a rare case of fan and critical hysteria.

The AFI saga has been 11 years in the making. Hailing from the northern California town of Ukiah, the band's indie CDs — which include Very Proud of Ya (1996), Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes (1997), Black Sails In Sunset (1998), A Fire Inside (1998), All Hallows (1999) and The Art of Drowning (2000) — ran the gamut from no-nonsense hardcore to more conceptualized punk rock. As a result of their unassailable underground credentials, AFI became the most buzzed-about band on the 2002 Warped Tour.

Now, with their DreamWorks debut garnering sales and acclaim and a Nitro Records retrospective box set in the works, AFI's all-consuming inner flame is certain to spread.

The Smashing Pumpkins might be the closest thing to a living, breathing soap opera as you're likely to find in rock & roll.

One of the top bands in the world thanks in large part to two hit albums (1993's Siamese Dream and 1995's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness), the Pumpkin's hit hard times in the summer of 1996. Touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin was found dead of a drug overdose the morning the group was scheduled to headline New York's Madison Square Garden, and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was subsequently tossed out of the band for drug use.

Appropriately enough, Pumpkins' leader and creative beacon Billy Corgan proceeded to fashion the unit's artiest and darkest sounding album. Sometimes employing a drum machine, the commercially disappointing Adore album was dismissed by fans and critics alike. Rumors loomed that Corgan was contemplating breaking up the band.

But instead of cashing in his chips, the Pumpkins' mercurial headman decided to forge ahead with the group he founded in 1989. It was a wise choice, as the Chicago-bred brigade's latest album, MACHINA/the Machines of God, represents a dynamic, catchy return to form for the group.

This once dysfunctional family also seems quite functional these days. In a surprise move, an apparently clean and sober Chamberlin was reinstated into the group. His high energy, dexterous drumming is a key reason why MACHINA rates so highly. Former Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur also replaced longtime member D'Arcy Wretzky, who earlier this year was arrested in Chicago for allegedly buying crack cocaine. (The foursome also includes guitarist James Iha.)

Even Corgan, once known for his petulance and arrogance, has seemingly achieved a new level of inner calm and spirituality that's partly reflected in his new music.

"I think it's hard to travel the world, meet so many people, and go to places where people could care less about Mariah Carey and our world of pop and rock, without finding some sort of humility," Corgan told a writer recently. "And I don't mean humility in a kind of I'm-not-worthy way, but humility in a deeper respect for life and what goes on."