Four teens from Florida are making big waves in the music industry. And they're not in a boy band – well, not exactly. Miami-based thrash metal band Black Tide is earning raves for its crunching riffs and lightning fast solos.

Lead singer-guitarist Gabriel Garcia was only 10 years old when Black Tide formed in 2004. The rest of the band's members – guitarist Alex Nuñez, bassist Zakk Sandler and drummer Steven Spence – still aren't old enough to buy alcohol, let alone get inside the bars and clubs they've performed in. Yet, the young teens draw mostly from '70s and '80s metal mainstays like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Metallica. In 2006, their throwback sound and tight live shows scored them a deal with Interscope Records, the home of artists like 50 Cent, Daddy Yankee and Nine Inch Nails.

At just 14, Garcia can be a controversial frontman. Last year, Black Tide was dropped from the second stage lineup at OZZfest after one of the show's sponsors, the liquor company Jägermeister, announced it didn't want to promote underage drinking. Two days later, they were invited to open on the main stage at OZZfest.

After closing out 2007 as openers for Avenged Sevenfold, Black Tide will have a busy year. They're capping off a club tour with performances at the prestigious SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. Their debut album, The Light From Above, is scheduled for release in mid-March.

Formed during the late '90s boy band craze that first made Justin Timberlake a household name, Latin pop group C Note has re-emerged with new members and a new sound.

The Florida-based outfit, once managed by Lou Pearlman (Backstreet Boys, *NSync, O-Town), was originally comprised of Jose "Brody" Martinez, Raul "RaRa" Molina, David "D'Lo" Perez and Andrew "Dru" Rogers. In 1999, they debuted with Different Kind of Love, an album full of candy-coated pop tracks including "I Like," a cover of the R&B hit by Guy and the Hall and Oates-sampling Wait Till I Get Home. C Note also recorded a Spanish-language version of the song, alternately titled "No Dejo de Pensar."

Nearly a decade later, only Molina and Perez remain – they've since added Josh "J-Kid" Correa, Johnathan "Jae" Lopez and Orlando "O.T." Torres to the group. Last year, C Note released their self-titled sophomore album, a bilingual affair that compiles traditional pop ballads like Forgive Me with the reggaetón / hip hop of songs like of Wepa, featuring Tony Touch, and "Baja Panties."

C Note may be trying to ditch the "boy band" tag, but they're keenly aware that there a plenty of bands with boys (Aventura, Kumbia All-Starz, Xtreme) in Latin music.

see: myspace.com/cnotemusica

Never mind the Crazy Frog, T-Pain is the new reigning "King of Ringtones."

Over the last two years, the dreadlocked R&B and rap star has sold over seven million ringtones, nearly five times as many as sales of his previous two albums, combined. In 2005, the Tallahassee, Florida native released Rapper Ternt Sanga, a collection of club anthems about clubbin', including the unforgettable hit single I'm N Luv (With A Stripper). (The ringtone for that perfectly timely ode to forbidden love was purchased four million times in five months, making it Sony BMG's fastest-selling to date.)

His follow-up, Epiphany, proved this 22-year-old producer-performer is, like Nate Dogg or Michael Jackson, the rare artist capable of churning out one earworm after another: Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin') ft. Yung Joc and Bartender ft. Akon. Not only does Teddy Pain know how to write them, he also knows how to pick them. His collaborations with the cream of the crop read like a list of this year's top 10 – because, in large part, they are: Good Life by Kanye West, I'm a Flirt (Remix) by R. Kelly, Shawty by Plies, Cyclone by Baby Bash, I'm So Hood by DJ Khaled and Kiss Kiss by Chris Brown.

The happily married father of two – his children are named Lyriq and Muzyq – is enjoying his best year ever, having become as ubiquitous as The Neptunes were a few years back or Rodgers and Hammerstein, in their own day. Discovered by fellow R&B star Akon, T-Pain is now the head of Nappy Boy Entertainment – a label devoted exclusively to digital releases – e.g., ringtones. If you're awaiting his next release, keep your phone off "vibrate."

Bilingual punk rockers Guajiro (pronounced wah-hero) don't consider themselves a Latin Rock band, but a Miami band – much like Hermosa Beach, California's Pennywise and Boston, Massachusetts' Dropkick Murphys, who both rep their respective cities with pride. The Hialeah, Florida quartet is comprised of bassist Jorge Gonzales, vocalist-guitarist Willy Lopez, drummer Douglas MacKinnon and vocalist-guitarist David Santos. Regional pride aside, Guajiro's punk rock does have some Latin flair: they're mostly Cuban-American.

Guajiro's debut album, Material Subversivo, takes a cue from old school English and recent American punk, injecting melodic choruses with populist politics. While "Espanglish" bands aren't quite mainstream yet, Guajiro is making some important strides: they've played with Rancid and Flogging Molly, charted on CMJ, and played on the ubiquitous Warped Tour.

see: myspace.com/guajiro