As the four piece, Rialto, California based powerhouse Media gears up for the release of their debut album in early 2009 on the new indie label Unicrons, it’s ironic that they originally wanted to name it after one of its most compelling and hooky tunes, “1982.” With lead vocalist and bassist Jordan Kennedy being the oldest of the bunch at 19, none of the guys were around back then, but their original vibe—which blends perfectly with their more contemporary, explosive energy—makes them fun time traveling companions.

Jordan, bassist/vocalist Bryan Palma (18), guitarist/vocalist Bert M (17), guitarist/vocalist and drummer/percussionist Andrew Serrato (18) still haven’t settled on the perfect name for the compelling 10-track project, but their choice of Media for their band moniker is likely to prove prophetic considering the buzz they’ve built since joining forces at Rialto High School a few years ago. With a roller coaster of a back story worthy of bands who’ve been at it years longer, Media, which launched as a three-piece featuring Bert, Andrew and Bryan, evolved out of mutual interest, years of jam sessions and the shards of several broken bands. They started calling themselves Bert, then The Melons, then SBC. Adding the talented songwriter Jordan to the mix on bass and vocals allowed Bryan to pick up the second guitar and drove the newly dubbed Media to develop a more varied and creative sound. He and Bryan are the band’s chief songwriters.