Rooney/Jonas Brothers

It's hard not to think of Rooney as a California band — and not just because the band hails from LA. Its logo is an appropriation of the state flag's famous grizzly bear, and the quintet's 2003 debut record can be classified as downright sunny. But the band rose above its West Coast influences on last year's Calling the World, mainly by turning its sun-stroked indie rock into full-fledged, multi-dimensional power-pop. World is a catchall of sugary pop signifiers, from proggy keyboard riffs to Badfinger emulations — while "When Did Your Heart Go Missing?" predicts a Pat Benatar revival by lifting the drums and synths from "Love Is a Battlefield" and placing them amid herky-jerky guitar licks. The band is opening for tween sensations the Jonas Brothers, an indignity that no band deserves. Stay strong, Rooney.