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b'There are three sure-fire phrases that will make any rock and roll fan wrinkle up his nose: \\u201cHigh School Musical,\\u201d \\u201cboy band\\u201d and \\u201cactor-turned-musician.\\u201d The last phrase in particular is among the ugliest terms in music journalism, and for good reason. Just look at the recent track record: From Russell Crowe to Lindsey Lohan ... well, let\\u2019s just say it hasn\\u2019t been a very pretty sight. Thanks to those people and others (We\\u2019re looking at you, Kevin Bacon), any actor who wants an honest shot at a career in music has a long, dark road ahead of him. Fortunately for all of us, \\u201cactor-turned-musician\\u201d Thomas Ian Nicholas has two weapons in his corner. First, he\\u2019s been playing music for over half his life and can write a pop song like nobody\\u2019s business. And second, that long road we were talking about? Doesn\\u2019t bother him one bit. Thom has been, is, and to some degree will always be known as Kevin from the \\u201cAmerican Pie\\u201d movies. That\\u2019s right, he was that nice kid, that wholesome kid ... that kid who got to make out with Tara Reid. Whereas to most young men the idea of living with that identity is not such a bad proposition, Nicholas has the desire, not to mention the talent, to be so much more. Musically, Thom draws from a solid crop of influences \\u2013 from Switchfoot to Springsteen \\u2013 that have helped him learn the art of writing a pop song while keeping a foot in rock and roll. His music is polished enough to swagger right onto the radio, but raw enough to sound honest \\u2013 and, it\\u2019s worth mentioning, is much more rock and roll than you\\u2019d ever expect from someone who\\u2019s had the dubious honor of being tagged Seventeen Magazine\\u2019s \\u201cIt Boy.\\u201d For Nicholas, this time in his life isn\\u2019t about red carpets. He\\u2019s not worried about dating the \\u201cright girl\\u201d or answering questions about \\u201cwho he\\u2019s wearing\\u201d at the Oscars. It\\u2019s more about connecting with fans \\u2013 no, with people \\u2013 at all costs!'