NORFOLK'S Thinking C.A.P. Trio is "electro acoustic experimental dark pop" - which means "it's acoustic driven with digital effects," says singer/songwriter/guitarist Charlton Phaneuf. "We each have different approaches, and the band has a certain amount of improv when we play live." The songs are "never the same."

LESS THAN a year old, the Virginia Beach-based pop-punk band Averman already has toured once - and its dream is to do it again. Its five members, all in their early 20s, are Ryan Loftis on bass, Raleigh Ogden on guitar, Tony Agrios on drums, Bryan Tobin on vocals and Matt Muscara on guitar.

WITH DOZENS of original songs in the vault, KidPool is ready to unlock the door and put a fresh, and sober, spin on their past.
 

MOJAVE HEAT BOMB has roots in Virginia Beach. Now, though, vocalist/guitarist Mark Holt lives in Norfolk, and his band mate, drummer Tony Littles, lives in Hampton.

FAMILY TREE had to go through some dark times before it released its latest recording, the 2006 EP "Silver Lining." The Norfolk outfit formed in spring 1998 when brothers Derek (vocals/guitar) and Andy Smith (drums) and guitarist Kevin Turner left Roundtree and formed an eight-piece rock/jam band.

In Cynthia's Diary is a post-hard-core/metal-core, four-member band out of Chesapeake.

  The Dunes is based in Norfolk. Its genre may be somewhere around garage rock/punk/alternative, but one thing's for sure - it's original. "All we want to do is create our own thing and see what evolves from it," said lead vocalist and guitarist Daniel Pravda.

Some people believe that Bimini Road is an underwater route to Atlantis, but in Virginia Beach, Bimini Rd. is a four-piece alternative rock band.

Norfolk's Narissa Bond is a "new folk" singer who moved to this area from Kansas City, Mo. She was asked to perform at a show for the National Organization for Women-Virginia Region. That was in May 2000, and by fall she was calling Hampton Roads her home.

Norfolk metal band Rust welcomes corrosion, since it only comes with exposure. The band formed in late 2004 when drummer Van Taylor and guitarist Evan Swenson began to jam. The duo then asked bass-player-turned-lead-guitarist Rich Clark to join, followed by bassist Barry Couch.