Whether it was the California Gold Rush in the 1800s or the hope of being "discovered" in Hollywood in the 1900s, people have always flocked to California to make it big. Following is a rockin' collection of singles by independent, unsigned, underdog bands, each inspired by California in their own way, hoping to reach rock star status. Take a listen, download a track, tell your friends, and help them capture the California dream.

Kelly Brock High on the Sunshine As a child, Kelly Brock 's folks used to pack up her and her three sisters in their station wagon every summer and head from Vancouver, Canada down to southern California to take in Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm and Universal Studios. So California holds a lot of special memories for this roots-rock, country-pop female singer/songwriter who has been singing, writing and releasing her own CDs on her indie label DitY Records for the past ten years. www.kellybrock.com	Wideawake Better Than One WIDEAWAKE is a rock band from Austin, Texas who has been making music together since 2003. So far they have shared the stage with Switchfoot, Third Eye Blind, and Sheryl Crow, among others. They recently wrote a track entitled "Maybe Tonight, Maybe Tomorrow" for the Lance Armstrong Foundation with all proceeds of the song going to the foundation's fight against cancer. The band loves to visit California and recently participated in the Friends of El Faro Benefit in L.A. at the request of their friend Molly Sims. www.wideawake.com
Track: High On The Sunshine	Track: Better Than One
Center Court Party Workin' A mish-mash of Los Angeles musicians, Center Court Party writes infectious, danceable hip-hop that is sure to hook you from the first beat. You may have heard their songs featured in TV shows on networks like the WB, Lifetime TV, and FX - so you don't have to come to LA to catch their sound anymore. www.centercourtparty.com	Salme Dahlstrom Hello California Even though she's an east coast girl, New York based pop-electronica artist Salme Dahlstrom has always had a soft spot for California, so much that she wrote a song about it. "Hello California" is a four minute adrenaline rush that fuses pumping break beats with catchy pop melodies - a musical collision course that vibrates through the soul, lifts the spirit, and will have you cruising in the fast lane. Plus it features Mark Mullane from Misery Loves on vocals. Surf's up! www.salmedahlstrom.com
Track: Workin'	Track: Hello California
The Man Sparks By definition, The Man is a 4-piece from Los Angeles, California. More accurately, The Man engages in cultural deconstruction as a form of revolutionary art, a highly decentralized experiment in social control mechanisms, inspired and motivated by Xanadu, world domination and having really nice haircuts. This ferociously fun punk/new wave band has a sound that will leave you dazed. www.destroytheman.com	Staaarchild Dance Floor Staaarchild is a live electronica group that sounds like a mix of dance, house, hip hop, rap, and a UFO that crashed landed in a field of ravers! Living in the after hours club scene of Los Angeles, this high energy, free form funk phenomenon was born. www.soloprod.com
Track: Sparks	Track: Dance Floor
The Willowz Get Down Three boys and a girl under 22, all born and raised in Southern California, play bratty garage-punk with a psychedelic twist. They pack so many drum fills, handclaps, off-kilter harmonies, rambunctious riffs, and eerily familiar howls inspired by Robert Plant that your head will spin. The Willowz have toured the world several times and recently got their big break when discovered by Michel Gondry for his movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". www.thewillowz.com	Jennifer Paige Here in the Sun After Jennifer Paige's song "Crush" went #1 in seven countries around the world, her life changed. One minute she was living a relatively private life in Los Angeles, and the next she was either singing for the Pope at the Vatican or sitting with Prince Albert of Monaco after being nominated Best New Artist at the World Music Awards. Living and making music in California for the last ten years has given her a sunny disposition, a fresh perspective on her southern roots, and plenty of inspiration for her newest cd release - "Best Kept Secret". www.jenniferpaige.com
Track: Get Down	Track: Here In The Sun
Summerhead Winter Place Salt Lake City band Summerhead is creating a new sound in electronica. While mixing experimentalism with electronic pop, the band has been recognized for adding a beauty that is not always present in electronic music. California is a regular escape for Summerhead, a place where they head when they're looking for creative inspiration. A spontaneous California adventure was the genesis of their forthcoming album 'Heavy Husk and the Reluctant Camper'. www.summerhead.com	Gileah Comfortable Gileah's warm and uplifting album "The Golden Planes" is garnering critical acclaim from the sunshine state to the golden state. Mellow and refreshingly simple, her songs draw the listener in with their heartening melodies and wistful vocals. Her favorite and most inspirational travels span California - from San Francisco to Big Sur to the beautiful beaches of Southern Cali - she's banked miles of inspiration along the Pacific Coast Highway. www.greyhatrecords.com
Track: Winter Place	Track: Comfortable
Melodrome Highest Ground Melodrome is an award winning pop/rock band dedicated to making a positive impact on the world. They regularly play for free at any event that supports the environment or raises awareness about important political issues. The band has a fond place in their heart for California, especially after being chosen as one of four bands out of thousands to perform at the Taxi Music Conference in 2004. While in Los Angeles, they also shot a music video for "Sex, Cash & Fuel" on a rare rainy sourthern California day. www.melodrome.com	The Moudrouhis Show Ionian Sail The Moudrouhis Show is Don Taylor, a composer and producer who lives in Athens, Greece. His music is influenced by the Mediterranean and the sounds of Greece, half a world away from California but similar in many ways. Living in California has always been a dream of Don's, which he hopes to one day turn into a reality. www.themoudrouhisshow.com
Track: Highest Ground	Track: Ionian Sail