Pittsburgh, PA

Glammy modern rockers Cherry Monroe formed in 2004 when Youngstown, OH-based vocalist Matt Toka hooked up with Jason Levis (drums), Dave Saltzman (bass), and Ryan Harris (guitar), who'd been playing with the band Outbound in their native Pittsburgh. They found a common ground in Bowie, Marvelous 3, and the hooky marketability of contemporary groups like the Killers, and were soon writing a batch of songs. Guitarist Frankie Bennett joined later, and pretty soon Cherry Monroe had released their self-titled debut through Cleveland-based Rust Records. The band eventually signed to Universal Records and in August 2005 issued a remixed, slightly recut form of their debut as The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful. In addition to the band's originals, it included a cover of the Blondie classic "Call Me." ~ Johnny Loftus