As the year winds down, and those around us get lazy, we bring you one last newbie and the beginning of this year’s band recap. Look for more updates on the bands we’ve been following in the weeks to come. And don’t forget to send us into our Thanksgiving break with some music to keep us awake when the tryptophan sets in: wheelslosers@gmail.com

Action Item: Pop-rockers from Bergen County, NJ, starting to create a buzz via the Web. AI currently has 35k+ fans and north of 450k plays on their MySpace page. The band released the EP The World and I earlier this year and is now in the midst of working up new material. We expect these guys to make some serious noise next year, when their new material begins to circulate. Look for an update on them in early ’09, and check out their MySpace page: www.myspace.com/actionitemnj

2008 BAND RECAP, PT. 1
Nell Bryden: We hipped you to Nell a few months ago and spotlighted her last week. Her roots are planted in N.Y., but her special blend of blues, country, folk and jazz is finding followers across the country and abroad. Here’s a further update on one of our favorite East Coast soulstresses. Nell just finished recording five songs with David Kershenbaum (Tracy Chapman, Cat Stevens, Duran Duran, Peter Frampton, Joe Jackson). She’s set for a return appearance Nov. 21 at the London Jazz Festival, and will follow that with a Dec. 3 date at Joe’s Pub. Nell is in the Top 40 of the Irish sales chart from phone downloads alone. She’s played over 400 gigs to date and is garnering a major buzz on the heels of her recent tour of the U.K. and Ireland with Counting Crows, including coverage in Q magazine and on the BBC. Stay tuned for further updates on what appears to be a rapidly accelerating career arc. www.myspace.com/nellbryden.

The Airborne Toxic Event: One of Wheels’ favorite bands is breaking big at Alternative radio and is on the verge of the national Top 20. The band debuted on the national Rate The Music callout chart at #12, ahead of heavies like Saving Abel, Hoobastank and Guns N’ Roses. TATE is currently on tour in the U.K., playing 30 shows in 30 days. See for yourself as NME captures the live experience of this incredibly talented band on the mag’s daily video blog.