Initially a contemporary Christian Rock band, Switchfoot transitioned into a very solid Rock band with a lot of mainstream appeal. As they hit it bigger a few years after the Grunge/Alternative boom was over, the band did not face the backlash that other bands with a similar sound faced only a half-decade before did, and with other Christian Rock bands who had successfully crossed over before, they were not considered preachy either like their predecessors had. This seems to be a case of a band that arrived at the right time to be successful.

One of the best bands to ever come out of Wales, Stereophonics captured the U.K. market with their straight ahead attack of Rock and Roll. They have (and as of this writing continue to have) a long list of hit albums and singles but again, this is the case of another band of the United kingdom that failed to become a commercially viable entity in the U.S.. We hate repeating ourselves, but this is somewhat of a requirement for serious consideration for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Although they sounded more like a Retro Novelty band than a Modern Rock outfit, Smash Mouth was able to secure several hits in the late 90’s. We do however question any band’s Hall of Fame chances when the lead singer appears in the Surreal Life. That is not something a Hall of Famer should (or would) do.

Potentially the best chance for Iceland to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Sigur Ros has been one of the most critically beloved bands in the past fifteen years. They have developed a sweet blend of Rock and Ambient and have that distinctiveness that the Hall claims to crave. The issue for this band will be how innovative they will be perceived as; as there is not exactly a lot of bands who seem to cite the Icelanders as an influence; at least not really any of note.  This is not as darkhorse a candidate as you think.