AM Taxi

Originally known as American Taxi (until bluegrass group Great American Taxi got itself some legal representation), AM Taxi might at first come off as pretenders to the throne. While its major-label debut, We Don't Stand a Chance, focuses on Bruce Springsteen-influenced Americana punk — you know, the type recently popularized by acts such as the Gaslight Anthem, the Loved Ones and the Hold Steady — frontman Adam Krier and bassist Jason Schultejann previously did time in a rather different band: ska-punk/rap hybrid Lucky Boys Confusion. But Krier, Schultejann and the rest of AM Taxi really mean it, man, and we're all for musical expansion. Plus, we hear a sprinkling of Bouncing Souls' rough-around-the-edges mod-punk in Chance's better songs, which bodes well for any band.