Actors turned indie rockers

They love acting...but what they really want to do is rock

Michael Jordan had to try playing baseball; David Lee Roth had to try doing talk radio; and for many of Hollywood's young elite, the urge to prove your mettle as a musician is apparently too great to resist. This year alone will see the release of new music from bands and projects featuring the likes of Adrian Grenier (seen at far right, trying hard to look like just another guy in the band), Scarlett Johannson, Ryan Gosling and Juliette Lewis.

At stake is more than just additional fame, fortune and groupies; most of these actors are determined to avoid trading on their celebrity status, coveting the kind of "indie" credibility granted to the bands and artists they are clearly emulating (and, occasionally, hiring). Contrary to popular belief, many of them are actually pulling it off; others, not so much.—Andy Hermann, Metromix