June

Like other Chicago-area bands such as Fall Out Boy and the Academy Is..., June offered up an infectious mix of pop-punk and rock since forming in the first half of the 2000s. Starting out as a semi-joke to play around town, Tim Brennan (vocals/guitar), A.J. Brown (bass/vocals), Mark Palacz (guitar), and Mark Sutor (drums) got more serious as their four-song demo and live show soon amassed a substantial local following. They independently released The June EP in mid-summer 2004, and despite having little tour experience outside of their hometown, the band soon inked a deal with local heavyweights Victory Records. Their label debut, If You Speak Any Faster, was issued in August 2005 and considerable nationwide touring followed. The band released their significantly poppier effort Make It Blur almost exactly two years later.