Basically the continual project of Conor Oberst, Bright Eyes emerged as the darling of the Midwest Indie Rock scene of the New Millennium.   With a growing fan base and passionate fans, Bright Eyes may not have sold a lot of albums in the past ten years, but that could easily change in the next decade. This could be a real wild card pick for the Hall in the coming years.

As Bonnie “Prince” Billy, William Oldham became the definitive example of Alternative Country. He sang as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders yet like few others delivered a beautiful sadness in his music. Ironically, his music sells better in the United Kingdom (not exactly an Alt Country hotbed) than in the United States, but despite the acclaim he receives, the enigmatic Oldham has a lot of work to do before Cleveland remotely considers him.

Seemingly hitting their stride lately, Blue October has delivered on a formula of angst, Alt Rock and Experimentation. As part of an underappreciated Texas Rock scene, Blue October has reached a certain level of mainstream success without really having to shed what made them special to begin with. Their Hall of Fame chances seem slim at this point but they appear to have a lot more steam left in them to alter that perception. 

A band name that we find colossally cool, And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, was an Alternative band that came from Texas, yet sounded far more artistic than other Alternative bands did. Merging Noise Rock and Hardcore Rock, the Trail of Dead did secure a decent following, but does a decent following make a Hall of Fame career? Probably not, as shown by who is in currently.