Virginia Coalition, Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers, Matt Wertz February 18, 2005

The four members of the rock band Virginia Coalition -- singer Andrew Poliakoff, multi-instrumentalists Paul Ottinger and Jarrett Nicolay, and drummer John Patrick -- met in junior high school in Alexandria, VA, in music class. In the spring of 1998, they self-released their debut album, The Colors of the Sound. Townburg followed in 2000, helping them to expand their following to the East Coast and the Midwest. Their third album, Rock & Roll Party was picked up for distribution by KOCH upon its release in January 2003 and reached Billboard's Internet chart. In August 2003, the group won the Reader's Choice Award for the best band in Washington, D.C., from The Washington Post. The New York-based independent label bluhammock music released their fourth album, OK to Go, in September 2004.