10 Artists to Watch 2006

>> Listen: Hear tunes from Cute Is What We Aim For and other Artists to Watch.

Barely more than a dozen shows into their career, the Buffalo, New York, emo band Cute Is What We Aim For knew they were on the right track. "We were in Baltimore, stuck in traffic, when [Fueled by Ramen head] John Janick called," says singer Shaant, noting that the band had received a positive response on MySpace and PureVolume. "Not many people knew of us, but we were starting to get some buzz, and John was paying attention." Today, with more than 50,000 copies sold of their debut, The Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch, Cute are promising to follow in the platinum footsteps of Fueled by's Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco.

SOUND Shaant says he's the kind of kid who lies awake at night thinking. But thinking too much has been a boon to Cute's music - particularly his lyrics, which tend toward verbose diatribes about girls, heartache and teenage hypocrisy. "If you ask anybody if they remember high school, they'll remember it vividly," he says. Musically, the band's debut ought to appeal to fans of labelmates the Academy Is . . ., one of the singer's favorite acts.

SUNBURNED EPIPHANY Shaant never even thought about putting together a band until after he attended the Warped Tour in 2003. "You go and see kids your own age up there onstage," he says. "I sat there on the way home with a sunburn, and my mind started racing. I turned to my friend and said, 'I'm going to be doing this one day.' " JENNY ELISCU

>> Next: ALEXI MURDOCH: L.A. song slinger via Scotland and The O.C.