DI-RECT

A Dutch pop-rock band formed in 1998, Di-Rect sang their tunes in English and were able to score a record deal thanks to prominent DJ Rob Stenders in 2000. The demo that the then teenage group had recorded also included what would be their first single, "Just the Way I Do," and was successful enough to help guide their debut album, Discover, into the charts. Members Tim Akkerman (vocals and guitar), Bas van Wageningen (bass), Jamie Westland (drums), and French van Zoest (guitars) released their second album, Over the Moon in 2003, which was followed by 2005's All Systems Go and a number of festival appearances, namely the famous PinkPop Festival. 2005 also found the band hitting American soil, as they participated in an MTV reality show entitled Road Rally. More festivals followed, and outside a tumultuous period that almost resulted in the band's dissolution, Di-rect returned to the stores with their fourth album, Di-Rect. A more mellow, rock affair than their previous bouncy pop-punk sound, the album was released in March of 2007.