Until June

The roots to the warm, piano-peppered pop/rock songs of Until June were sown in Phoenix, when brothers Josh and Dan Ballard (vocals/piano and guitar, respectively) began writing songs together in high school. Taking influence from the likes of Ben Folds and Coldplay — and just a few years apart in age — their musical collaboration continued into college at Arizona State University, as various bassists and drummers came and went over time. The guys recorded their first EP in 2000 and worked the record hard locally and through outside mailings, which eventually earned a call from a major label. Though nothing ultimately came of the encounter, it encouraged the brothers' faith in their songs, and they decided to throw everything they had into their music. The Ballards thus moved to Los Angeles, but after a few years — and despite all the area gigs, shameless self-promotion, and long hours working jobs in between — they still didn't have much to show for their efforts. It was make or break time. With drummer Daniel Dempsey finally completing the band in April 2005, they set a personal deadline of either getting signed by that June or that was it (this self-imposed time limit made for a nice little band name as well). As luck would have it, just as the deadline was nearing, Until June scored a deal with Tennessee-based Christian label Flicker Records, which soon afterwards became a subsidiary of Sony/BMG. A three-song EP released solely through iTunes subsequently led nicely into the April 2007 appearance of Until June's self-titled debut album.