The All-American Rejects

The moniker adopted by the All-American Rejects is half accurate, half not. The "All-American" part fits the quartet's leaders, Oklahomans Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler, and it's not a bad description of their music, a thoroughly domesticated variation on classic power pop. However, these self-proclaimed Rejects have been widely embraced,...

By Michael Roberts

December 8, 2005

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The moniker adopted by the All-American Rejects is half accurate, half not. The "All-American" part fits the quartet's leaders, Oklahomans Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler, and it's not a bad description of their music, a thoroughly domesticated variation on classic power pop. However, these self-proclaimed Rejects have been widely embraced, thanks to the irresistible video for "Dirty Little Secrets," the tuneful ditty that kicks off Move Along, their latest disc, and they haven't been snubbed by the alt-rock crowd, either, even though their sound is about as dangerous as a plastic fork. Indeed, these guys are capable of being all things to all people, which explains why they seem as comfortable on MTV as they do on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. And while their accessible approach is unlikely to resonate over the long term, they sound just fine three minutes at a time. Granted, their show, opened by The Academy IsŠ, should run longer than that, thereby putting their freshly scrubbed charm to the test. If they don't step up their game, they might get rejected after all.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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