Sherwood/Hot Chelle Rae/Black Gold

Sherwood is known in many circles for being the first act signed to MySpace's record label. To its fans, however, the quintet is popular for its keyboard-kissed pop — the sort that only seems to germinate in California's sunny climate. The tracks streaming on its MySpace player (natch) resemble fellow Cali acts such as Rooney, Phantom Planet or Jack's Mannequin, what with their jaunty tempos, sugary harmonies and easygoing ambience. Hot Chelle Rae is cut from the same earnest electro-emo cloth as the headliners, although its Nashville locale gives it a harder rock edge. Black Gold hails from Brooklyn and recently toured with Echo & the Bunnymen, but any whiff of hipsterdom is superseded by earnestness: Its album, Rush, features the burgeoning sensitive-rock hit "Shine," which was featured in the movie Valentine's Day.