The High Court

The band name the High Court doesn't imply that the members of this New Jersey punk-pop quintet are fans of the judicial system so much as with its invocation of the word "high" and the handy acronym THC — in other words, that they're fans of weed. This is no idle speculation: their official press bio makes these connections clear in its first paragraph. Between that and the many less than subtle references to pot smoking on the band's MySpace page, it seems clear that the High Court are never going to be invited to any straight-edge house parties. The High Court formed in 2005 when lead guitarist Lou Cuello, bassist Kyle "Shell" Shellhammer, and drummer Danny Carvell, veterans of a handful of going-nowhere metal bands, placed an ad on Craigslist for a lead singer for a new, more pop-oriented outfit. John Brown, who usually goes simply by the initials J.B., answered, and invited his rhythm guitarist friend Mike Matranga into the new group as well. Signing to the indie label I Surrender, the High Court released their debut album, Puppet Strings, in the summer of 2007, preceded by the Fall Out Boy-aping first single "2 Much Love for 1 Woman," an unsubtle ode to a threesome.