Who needs American Idol anyway? Searching for the next big thing, Wheels 2.0 and SonicBids recently joined forces to find the pop stars of tomorrow in our first annual “Next Up” competition.

The contest, which began Aug. 1 and ran through the end of September, attracted close to 300 submissions, none of which came with financial inducements or drugs.

In searching for the one winner, we ended up with two finalists. Hey, it’s our contest, so we can make up the rules as we go along, right?

The first band we fell in love with was San Francisco indie-rock unit Geographer. Participating judges immediately responded this band, citing that special “it” quality from the very first listen.

Geographer was born from the family tragedies suffered by lead singer Michael Deni. Trying to get away from his pain, the singer/songwriter got into his car and drove from his New Jersey home to the Bay Area, where he spent the next couple of months developing his sound and establishing the group. As Deni describes it, he turned the “memories that drove me from home into songs,” lacing them with emotion and lush melodies to mirror those intense emotions. After the additions of cellist Nathan Blaz and drummer Brian Ostreicher, Geographer spent the next year on the local club circuit, crafting their songs into an impressive debut, the recently released Innocent Ghosts, available on iTunes. Check the band’s MySpace site at www.myspace.com/geographermusic.

Philadelphia country-oriented group Sisters 3 was the other band to attract the attention of our crack judging staff. Comprised of a trio of sisters (dunh), Anna, Cassandra and Beatrice, the band writes songs that deal in love, politics and the American dream, with a roots alternative sound that meshes country and folk elements into a refreshing amalgam.

Their album was produced by veteran Canadian dial-twister Gary Marshall (Broken Social Scene, Feist) and was released in February up north on Marshall’s indie Vibewrangler Records label, with a U.S. debut slated for later this year. The Sisters 3 have played such events as NXNE, Mountain Stage and Philadelphia Folk Festival and will be making an appearance at CMJ later this year. The trio’s poignant harmonies are featured on CBS Records artist Sharon Little’s debut album Perfect Time for a Breakdown. Listen to a sampling of their wares on www.sisters3music.com, a site which includes MP3s, photos and live video footage of the girls singing on TV. Country music isn’t ordinarily our thang, but these girls have an irresistible twang to their music that is universal.
In other words, move over, Simon Cowell—Wheels 2.0 has uncovered its own firmament of stars-in-the-making.