Formed in 2006 around the talents of Kate Cabebe (drums), Katie Cecil (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Shelby Cobra (lead vocals), Sophia Melon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Shae Padilla (lead guitar), Los Angeles-based pop/rock outfit KSM (the name was derived from the copious amounts of K's and S's in the bandmembers' names, with the "M" representing "music") craft hook-filled teen pop that blends the polished grit of pioneering girl groups like the Go-Go's and the Bangles with the wide-eyed wonder of contemporary pop groups like the Cheetah Girls and the Jonas Brothers. The precocious teens honed their chops in clubs and on high-school campuses before releasing their full-length debut, Read Between the Lines, on the Walt Disney label in 2009. ~ James Christopher Monger