Tickle Me Pink

Tickle Me Pink formed in Fort Collins, Colo., in 2005. They take their cues from the rock anthems and inescapably catchy breakup songs of Nickelback. With all four members either long-trained musicians (singer Sean Kennedy studied opera and piano as a kid) or engineering-savvy studio rats (bassist Johnny Schou worked with veteran punk rock producer Bill Stevenson), they construct radio-perfect active rock in Third Eye Blind's unassailable mold, with impeccably recorded vocals and a guitar-bass-drum wash layered with impressive professionalism. After self-releasing and recording a full-length and two EPs, Tickle Me Pink signed to Wind-Up Records in 2008 and put out a proper debut that year. Tragically, Schou was found dead on July 1, 2008 -- the day the album, Madeline, came out. He was 22.