The Green Room

Opening its metaphorical door in 2000, the Green Room is the musical cooperative founded by Colombian-born Jorge Mejia. Though he sports a degree in piano performance from the University of Miami, the 33-year-old Mejia is as adept at New Wave-style rock — something evident with one spin of his first disc, 2001's Alive — as he is at classical piano, an interesting sonic blend at once nostalgic and fresh. Recorded mostly by Mejia à la Trent Reznor, Alive is, simply put, lush — awash in orchestration, synth-pop percussion, strummy guitar, and enough ivory-tickling to appease the emo crowd.

Since the album's release, Mejia has been a bright spot on the local musical map, playing a steady stream of gigs to a respectable following and honing a performance style just showy enough to complement his definitively rich sound. "I'm just trying to make beautiful music," says the affable frontman and composer, who splits his time between the band and a day job with Sony Music Publishing. As of late, Mejia and the Green Room's current incarnation — Miami music stalwarts Fernando Perdomo (guitar), Pedro Guzman (bass), and Derek Cintron (percussion) — have been holding court at Miami Beach's Felt, polishing tunes for the Green Room's upcoming studio album. Scheduled for a late-fall 2006 release, the as-yet-untitled disc hews close to what Mejia started while avoiding sounding like a rehash.