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Pay the $8 admission to the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, and you'll find what you're expecting — a tractor pull, a rodeo and deep-fried Oreos. These traditions are dependable, like an old pair of Levi's. The one thing that does change is the music. All the livestock and kettle corn may invite visions of pedal steel guitars and cowboys, but this year's stable of acts is varied in both style and age.

Representing the youth movement, The Fuzed cover the type of songs favored by many hire-by-the-hour party bands. From Ozzy Osbourne to Guns N' Roses, the quartet has the hard rock gamut covered. They're not Capitol Hill bureaucrats who belt out "Free Bird" on Saturday afternoons. In fact, the band won't even be heading to college for several years. Lead singer Cheska Zaide, who just turned 12, doesn't want the group to be mistaken for a Disney Channel rip-off act.

"I think they expect us to play very easy Hannah Montana songs," she says. "I like looking at all the people being shocked at how hard we rock."

The Fuzed formed a few months ago after Zaide met guitarist Trevor Fichtner at Bach to Rock music school in South Riding, Va. Through auditions, they filled out the lineup with 13-year-old drummer Jake Rosenthal and 14-year-old bassist Connor Ginger. Not only is Ginger the oldest member, but he's a head taller than the rest of the bunch.

So far, they have played at parties and outdoor festivals, but only one original composition has made its way into their set list. The band is busy writing new tunes, which should help them grow beyond the novelty stage.

"We want to make it to the top," Zaide says. "We want to write original songs and be internationally known."

If you prefer something a little more grown up and eclectic, Side FX might be more your style. D.C. based, but full of members who call the Maryland suburbs home, the band began as an artistic release for vocalist Kim Cameron.

"The corporate world was not rewarding for me," she says. "You have to really want to be in the office a lot and dedicate a lot of your life to products and services that you don't really believe in."

The 9-to-5 grind wasn't the only inspiration for Cameron to take up music full time. She also used her brother-in-law's recovery from carcinoma melanoma as encouragement.

"It was the way I felt about him and the way I would feel if he left," she says about her first song. "It took us a good two months to put that down into a recording. After that, we sat back and thought, this is kind of fun."

Side FX's sound is hard to pin down. At times, Cameron's radio-friendly alto floats over driving guitars. More often than not, the band maintains an adult contemporary pop-rock vibe. That may sound like an insult, but just when you think you have them pegged, a reggae beat or bouncy bass line comes creeping in from behind. And even though guitarist Chris Nikpora emigrated to the U.S. from Iran as a child, the country's influence still plays a big role in his life.

"The Middle Eastern part never went away," he says. "I still listen to Middle Eastern music. Sometimes I grab bits and pieces and incorporate them into my playing."

In addition to tools like the Internet, the band is exploring some unorthodox methods to reach new fans. Their debut album, "Contradictions," is on sale at unexpected retailers like Hu's Shoes in Georgetown, and they have begun talks with industry professionals in the Philippines.

"It's very interesting," Nikpora says. "A lot of bands market their music overseas parallel to what they do in the States. That's very exciting for us."

They stand by their music, but Side FX has also shot a couple of videos. The latest clip, for "Simple Touch," has been receiving attention for its sultry beach scenes.

"So far, my significant other has been pretty supportive, but I sort of challenge that with my latest video." Cameron jokes. "I did get some eyebrows raised when I released it this week. That was more of a shocker to him, although he kind of knew it was coming. I don't think it's his favorite video."

Amid the top 40 and hard rock, fairgoers will have ample opportunity to check out more traditional American music. Northern Virginia's Blame the Dog covers everything from Chuck Berry to the Eagles, and the Flower Hill String Band offers a show filled with bluegrass and Celtic-flavored melodies. But for a more contemporary country music sound, check out Tyler Toliver.

Country radio is full of post-9/11 patriotic balladeers, but few singers are as closely connected as the 20-year-old from Milwaukee. After graduating from high school two years ago, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Although Toliver hasn't seen action overseas, he still he has three years left on his contract.

"Growing up, I knew I was going to go into some branch of the military," he says. "During my junior year of high school, I decided that if I'm going to do this, I might as well go for the top. That's why I joined the Marine Corps."

Like many musicians, Toliver picked up a guitar at an early age. But he didn't take songwriting seriously until after he joined the military.

"When I was in the School of Infantry, I was sitting there at three o'clock in the morning and I thought about where I could be," he recalls. "I played for people, and they told me that I could do it professionally and that I should have chosen a different path."

Toliver doesn't shy away from flag-waving. His signature song, "Live Our Dream," chronicles a young soldier who leaves his fiancée for the battlefield. But he resists alienating supporters with blanket political statements.

"I'm trying to stay away from that as much as possible," he says. "Right now, I have such a wide fan base, not just in the nation, but around the world. I guess you could say I'm trying to make it as basic as possible."

Toliver has earned a following with help from a five-song EP. (The shirtless photos on his MySpace page haven't hurt.) Next, he plans on recording a two-song CD that will include a cover of Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight." Of course, long-term plans involve an entire album.

"The goal," he says, "is to walk out of the Marine Corps and into the music business."

One of the fair's more unique attractions is the Annapolis duo Calico Jack. As the name implies, Janie Meneely and Paul DiBlasi sing songs about the sea, specifically about the Chesapeake Bay. The material is largely inspired by Meneely's childhood sailing adventures off the Eastern Shore. She's quick to point out that her forte is telling tales, not "yo-ho-ho stuff."

"Part of what I want to do is share with people my knowledge of the bay," she says. "I want to help them get more intrigued by some of the history and the stories."

Meneely has released a few solo recordings, but found a life partner and musical collaborator six years ago in DiBlasi. The 56-year-old also has been singing with Pyrates Royale for nearly a decade.

"He's got such a great male voice," Meneely says. "I needed that voice to tell some of my stories. It's great for Paul to sing. It's more believable."

Although her hometown of Annapolis is still close to her heart, Meneely lives in Takoma Park. The 56-year-old is semi-retired, having transitioned from managing editor to editor-at-large at Chesapeake Bay magazine. She devotes much of her time performing a show called "Chesapeake Songs and Stories" for elementary school children across the Mid-Atlantic. Crowd favorites like "Freezing My Butt Off on Chesapeake Bay" sometimes coincide with classroom lessons about oyster-drudging and skipjacks.

"No one has told them what to like and not like yet, so they're pretty open to whatever comes their way," she says.

Meneely doesn't focus just on young minds. She also sends her message of Chesapeake conservation to the voting taxpayer.

"In order to really clean it up and get people focused on it, I think you have to get people to invest in it emotionally as well as financially," she explains. "They're not going to really pull out their pocket books until they see a human connection and that they're personally connected in some way."

Armed with ballads both reverent and silly, Calico Jack will share their passion with the crowd of landlubbers who shows up at the fairgrounds on Tuesday afternoon.

"People in Montgomery County aren't as familiar with the Chesapeake Bay because it's not at their front door," Meneely says. "I think it will be interesting to see what the reception will be."

Young or old, rural or urban, there's a performer to suit your musical tastes. Just try not get nacho cheese on your shirt.

The Fuzed will perform on Monday at 3 p.m., Side FX takes the stage Friday at 5 p.m., Tyler Toliver goes on at 3 p.m. Sunday and Calico Jack will sing tales of the sea Tuesday at 5 p.m. All performances take place at the Racing Park Stage on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, 16 Chestnut St., Gaithersburg. Admission is free with paid entrance to the fair. Call 301-926-3100 or visit www.mcagfair.com.