Parachute

Parachute took root in the college town of Charlottesville, Virginia, where the group honed its mix of pop/rock, funk, and contemporary blue-eyed soul under the original name Sparky's Flaw. Formed by high-school students William Anderson (vocals, guitar), John Stubblefield (drums), Christopher "Kit" French (saxophone, keyboards), Alex Hargrave (bass), and Nate McFarland (guitar), Sparky's Flaw generated a healthy buzz around town and eventually became popular at the nearby University of Virginia, where they opened for Robert Randolph. After gaining more popularity with an independently released EP, 2005's One Small Step, the guys partnered with Red Light Management and later signed with Smash Records, an imprint of the recently revived Mercury Records.

Before entering their final year at the University of Virginia, Sparky's Flaw released a self-titled EP in August 2007 and began laying the groundwork for a full-length album. Several months later, the band adopted a new name — Parachute — and contributed a song to the national TV campaign for Nivea. Losing Sleep appeared in May 2009, marking Parachute's major-label debut and peaking at number 40 on the Billboard charts. The band opened for Kelly Clarkson that fall and appeared on the Internet broadcast Live at Daryl's House with Daryl Hall. More touring took place the following year, including additional dates with Clarkson and a headlining run with British songwriter Joe Brooks. Parachute began including newer songs in their set lists and eventually returned to the studio to record their sophomore effort, 2011's The Way It Was.