2003: IRON & WINE

Southern folk singer Sam Beam, who performs as Iron & Wine, fell into the kind of indie stardom some acts can only dream of, after Sub Pop heard one of his demos and signed him. His first album with the label, The Creek Drank the Cradle, was recorded entirely in his home studio. For his second album, Our Endless Numbered Days, the singer-songwriter moved to a professional studio, tightening up his lo-fi sound, and fully rocked SXSW. Although Beam has since recorded two more EPs and a third full length, The Shepherd's Dog, he is perhaps best known for his cover of the Postal Service's ''Such Great Heights,'' which was featured on the hugely successful soundtrack to Garden State — and an M&Ms commercial.