Meese

Denver, CO-based modern rock quartet Meese were formed in early 2005 by Ohio native and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Meese, after his brother Nathan followed his sibling out west to pursue a career in music. After immersing themselves in the scene, the brothers brought in drummer Benjamin Haley and guitarist Mike Ayars from popular local act For the Holiday and began crafting songs for an EP. By 2007 the band's signature blend of dance-punk, emo-pop, and straight-up modern rock had found its way to highly touted local rock station KTCL/93.3-FM, igniting a major-label bidding war that saw the quartet signing with Atlantic Records. By the end of the year, fellow Denver rockers the Fray (who had opened for Patrick's previous band) caught fire and decided to take Meese along for the ride, resulting in enough national exposure to build anticipation for the group's major-label debut, Broadcast, which was released in 2009 and produced by Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt, Depeche Mode).