Our chief Wheel Jesse tests his chops by hitting the road with his band Metalkpretty as they make their way coast-to-coast from the Big Apple to L.A. after winning MTV VMA Best Breakout NYC Artist award and performing for a packed house last Friday night (9/11) at the VMA Pre-Party at the Fillmore @ Irving Plaza. The distaff half of Wheels, the lovely and talented and fresh-faced Ms. Erica, holds down the fort with some great picks for your weekend haul. Keep us cool and the music fresh at wheelslosers@gmail.com.

ONE TO WATCH:
Emily Wells Trio (www.myspace.com/emilywells):
The buzz has been building for this budding young talent from L.A. for quite some time now. She calls Nina Simone and Biggie Smalls influences and started her love for music listening to Simon and Garfunkel in her headphones. Music is her life and her earliest memories spawn from car rides set to tunes, youth orchestras and church choirs. Her favorite place to be is in the studio and her live performances often try to recreate that space with live sampling and looping. With Sam Halterman and Joey Reina in tow, the Trio make inspired music while dabbling in the odd and offbeat (no pun intended) instruments of the world. Catch her on tour now!

ON DECK:
Hollyweerd (www.myspace.com/hollyweerd @hollyweerd):
A brotherhood with a new breed of hip-hop hits us from Atlanta and takes us through a musical journey born from the desire to get back to true musicianship. Hollyweerd is a musical destination where “weirdos and rejects reign supreme.” Taking advantage of that little tool called the Internet, they have built quite a following and have found their place with music and lyrics that defy cliché, even if we don’t. The foursome, who came together in November of 2007, pride themselves on the individual qualities they bring to their sound and on-stage, maintaining a fresh sound by staying true to their core and the message they send. As they say, “Hollyweerd is the new southern comfort.”

BAND/ARTIST UPDATES:
Headlights (www.myspace.com/headlights):
Indie pop/alternative group the Headlights gear up for their third full-length set to be released Oct. 6. They have dates coming up in Chicago, L.A. and N.Y and are already getting rave reviews in the press, ahead of this much-anticipated release, which delves into heartfelt issues that previous albums have only touched on.

Metalkpretty (www.myspace.com/metalkpretty) (@metalkprettynyc):
Metalkpretty won the MTV VMA Best Breakout NYC Artist award last Sunday! They played to a packed house in N.Y. on Friday just before the good news came in. They’re currently on tour through the U.S., before stopping off in L.A. for a bit to record their highly anticipated debut record, and charging it all to Jesse’s AmEx card.