Try Streetlight Manifesto, if the horns are an issue try Toh Kay, it's literally just acoustic versions of Streetlight Manifesto songs but they sound great.
Uh, The Smashing Pumpkins tends to be a band everyone can enjoy.
Also, Chimes of Freedom is an album in which a few good bands covered Bob Dylan songs, Rise Against, Cage the Elephant, Bad Religion, Flogging Molly, annnnd maybe one other I may be forgetting, but the tracks sounds great so I guess you could check those out too.