As a solo artist, Adam Dove crafts heartfelt rock songs that range from intimate acoustic numbers to full-blown arena rock. His voice has the passion of Michael Hutchence and, at its finest moments, Jeff Buckley, and his lyrics explore the serious terrain of U2. But Dove's roots lie in the early-'90s Midwest hardcore explosion. Dove, born Adam Rubenstein, began his music career while in high school as the guitarist and primary songwriter of Indianapolis' melodic hardcore outfit Split Lip. The band toured on long weekends and recorded a single followed by two albums for Doghouse Records in 1994 and 1995, For the Love of the Wounded and Fate's Got a Driver. The albums established the young group as definitive practitioners of the genre, along with peers like Sunny Day Real Estate, Lifetime, Endpoint, and Commander Venus. After an evolution in their sound, the band changed their name to Chamberlain and released 1998's The Moon My Saddle, a mature mix of rock, country, and folk. Dove's solo debut, Aftershock, recorded with members of Old Pike and released on Doghouse in January of 2002, might best be described as "modern rock." The record picks up where The Moon My Saddle left off with a selection of guitar-driven pop songs, soaring vocals, and sincere lyrics that set Dove's music comfortably alongside major-label, stadium-filling acts. ~ Charles Spano