Gavin DeGraw

He’s not as cute as John Mayer. He’s not as quirky as Jason Mraz. But what sets Gavin DeGraw apart from the rest of the sensitive pretty boys is his tendency to rock the piano every once in a while. DeGraw’s engaging melodies, the kind that can’t help getting stuck in your head, have made him a perfect fit for the WB, which nabbed the catchy-gritty inspirational single “I Don’t Want to Be” as the intro theme for the series One Tree Hill. The autobiographical song, which reflects on DeGraw’s upbringing as a prison guard’s son in upstate New York, is one of several tracks on his album that thankfully depart from singer-songwriter-in-love clichés. Live, the gravel-voiced DeGraw is charming and sweet, a lot like he was during his cameo as a starving artist on the Showtime series Dead Like Me. If he’s lucky, demons won’t come after his soul in the middle of his Beaumont Club performance, like they did on that show.