Best Band Still Working to Keep Their HOPE Scholarships

Three Georgia Bulldogs whisked their way into town this August and walked away winners of Smith's Olde Bar's 2003 Open-Mic Madness tournament. Twenty-one-year-olds Julian Dorio and Parker Gispert and the underage Hank Sullivan trounced 127 other acts with their wide-open pop/rock that can tickle an alt-country fan's beard, while getting an indie-rocker to stroke his soul patch. It'll still be a couple years till all three members have their degrees, but if you catch them playing their signature song, "Half a World Away," you'll swear they were seasoned veterans. We've seen the future of local rock and it's THE WHIGS.