SafetySuit

When most bands begin to build up enough of a buzz in their hometowns that a move to a more "music biz"-oriented city may be in the offing, the choice is usually New York or Los Angeles. For Tulsa-born SafetySuit, however, the destination was Nashville, Tennessee. Originally known as Crew, singer/guitarist Doug Brown, drummer Tate Cunningham, and bassist Jeremy Henshaw (with two other members in the ranks at the time) first came to prominence in their Oklahoma hometown after winning a talent show that the band entered at the last minute. Over the course of the next year, the group began to outgrow its surroundings, and opted for a move. While Nashville is a mecca for those heading toward country stardom, rock stars usually don't race there to set up camp. Realizing what a musical city it was in all manner of styles, the lads in SafetySuit gave it a go. By the summer of 2005, they had recorded an EP and begun a performance schedule that sometimes saw them hitting stages two to three times a week. Eventually, the band scored a deal with Universal, and with Dave Garofalo taking on the guitarist slot, SafetySuit recorded their debut full-length, Life Left to Go, which was released in 2008. After finding Billboard success with the album in 2009, SafetySuit's presence started to expand when they had songs featured on television shows like The Hills and Kyle XY. The following year, the band headed into the studio to start work on a follow-up, but a scrapped recording session and label moves caused a number of delays. Singles from the perpetually postponed album finally began appearing in 2011, and in early 2012 the band was finally able to release its sophomore effort, These Times.