By Rodel Delfin

TURNING ON THE RED LIGHT: It seems like it was just a few months ago that Bill Armstrong and Joe Sib (the dudes at SideOneDummy) invited a handful of folks to the King King in Hollywood to see the latest SideOne signing—Maxeen. Now, after a year of growth and development that included a debut LP, over 200 shows and two European tours (all done with virtually no tour support), the rock trio has signed with James Dowdall and Andy Olyphant at Warner Bros. Look for the group to embark on a tour of Japan with blink-182... INDIE OR MAJOR, WHICH ROAD TO GO? What up with Sacramento act The Drama? The artist had a strong buzz prior to their CMJ perf last year that spurred a label deal that unfortunately went south. Turns out that the band, which many A&R hitters viewed as having potential but requiring development, has yet to land another label home. The group previously had offers from indies, but so far, no one has come back around. Goes to show that considering going the indie route to develop instead of jumping immediately to a major may be more worthwhile today than ever before due to the increasingly volatile climate at the majors... Meanwhile, it’s a done deal for the Jeff Worob/Josh Karchmer-repped The Adored (from St. Louis)—not to be confused with the L.A. pop-dance-punk group of the same name, now signed with V2. The St. Louis Adored has signed with David Andreone and Tim Devine at Columbia Records. This marks the first signing for former pub hitter Andreone, who has been at his Columbia A&R gig for just a couple of months... The production/writing duo of Stan Frazier and Steve Fox, professionally known as MASSIF, has signed a deal for representation with Sandy Roberton at Worlds End. You may have recently seen the duo on the the Ashlee Simpson show—they worked on the younger Simpson’s Geffen Records debut. Look for action on the production team’s latest project, Dirty Heads, which apparently has impressed a couple of major-label heads, who are reportedly already opening their checkbooks. Stand by... Meanwhile, will the Kent Marcus-repped Hayley Williams derby be coming to a conclusion soon? The teen songstress is in L.A. this week for an open showcase and for label meet-and-greets... Word on the street is that the Rick Rubin-run American Recordings may be staying put with Universal Music in spite of rumors that the label was making a move to be part of the Warner Music family... Finally, radio action on Avion continues to increase. The group moves to the mid-20s on the A&R Hot AC, Top 40 Adult and Modern Adult Monitor charts, with Top 10 callout and major market phones—the whole ball of earwax, playa. Manager David Christensen and barrister Steve Sessa are now said to be handling negotiations with label suitors. Again, stand by... BUZZIN’: Candace and Tremolo... Hit me up: brotherxx@earthlink.net