Roots of Motion City Soundtrack

Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s and were at the forefront of the indie rock scene at the time. The band's lineup consists of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Laura King. They are known for their energetic, high-velocity style and strong DIY ethic.

Dear and the Headlights was an American indie rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 2005. They released two widely known demos, recorded by future bassist Chuckie Duff, before their debut album was released. These demos included five songs re-recorded for the album. The most notable change to the songs upon re-recording was the drop from standard guitar tuning to E-flat standard tuning. Two songs heard on their purevolume.com page, recorded acoustic on a local radio show, also later appeared on Small Steps, Heavy Hooves. Small Steps, Heavy Hooves, the band's debut album, was released on February 6, 2007 on Equal Vision Records.

Ludo is an alternative rock band from St. Louis, Missouri. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Andrew Volpe, lead guitarist/back up vocalist Tim Ferrell, moog/synth and back up vocalist Tim Convy, drummer/back up vocalist Matt Palermo, and bassist/back up vocalist “Deepcut” Dave Heltibrand.

Richard Theodore Otcasek, known as Ric Ocasek, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the primary lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the American new wave band the Cars. In addition to his work with the Cars, Ocasek recorded seven solo studio albums. Ocasek's 1986 single, "Emotion in Motion", was a top 20 hit in the United States.

Boys Night Out is a Canadian emo/post-hardcore band from Burlington, Ontario.

Matchbook Romance is an American alternative rock band from Poughkeepsie, New York, initially formed in 1997 under the name Fizzlewink (1997–2001) and then The Getaway (2001–2002). They were signed to Epitaph Records and released two full-length albums, one EP and one split EP with Motion City Soundtrack under their label. Their EP West For Wishing, released in April 2003, was their first professional record and was produced by Brett Gurewitz. In September 2003, they debuted their first full-length album, Stories and Alibis.

Reggie and the Full Effect is an American rock band, the solo project of James Dewees, the former keyboardist for The Get Up Kids. It has released seven full-length albums, the latest in 2018, and has toured with various associated acts in their promotion.

Mae is an American rock band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multisensory Aesthetic Experience", based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University.

Phantom Planet is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald, Darren Robinson, Sam Farrar, and Andrew Parker (drums). The band is best known for their track "California", which became the theme song for the TV series The O.C.. Jason Schwartzman, now primarily an actor, was a founding member of the band, serving as the band's drummer until 2003.