XO Stereo

XO Stereo
XO Stereo promo shot by Adam Barnett
XO Stereo promo shot by Adam Barnett
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Years active2013–2015
Labels
Spinoff of
MembersCooper Campbell
Justin Whitesel
Jon Weisberg
Websitehttp://www.anothercentury.com/artist.aspx?IdArtist=841

XO Stereo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band was formed in 2013 by ex-members of From First To Last, LoveHateHero, and The Hollowed and consists of lead vocalist / drummer Cooper Campbell, guitarist / keyboardist Justin Whitesel, and guitarist / bassist / keyboardist Jon Weisberg.[1][2] The group was signed to Another Century Records with then became RED Music, a division of Sony Music[3] and have released one EP entitled The Struggle.[4] The group is known for the members past projects and the fact that each member plays multiple instruments in the band's recording process, allowing them to stay a three-piece band.[5]

Background

Formation

The band was formed by guitarist Justin Whitesel after finishing a tour with Eyes Set To Kill.[6] He wrote multiple songs, even employing the help of longtime friend and colleague Jinxx of Black Veil Brides fame to help with recording duties.[3][5][7] Whitesel then went on to enlist Cooper Campbell for all vocal and drum duties and Jon Weisberg, formerly of From First to Last, for all bass and additional guitar duties.[3]

Show And Tell video shoot and signing with Another Century Records

On August 26, 2013, the band released their first single and accompanying music video for the song Show And Tell.[7][8][9][10][11][12] They hired session members to fill the roles of rhythm guitar and drum duties, as Campbell would be unable to front the band as the singer and play the drums at the same time. The song was met with primarily positive reviews [9][13] and even got them a feature in Substream Magazine's Top Unsigned Bands.[14]

In September 2014, longtime friend (and former LoveHateHero bandmate) Kevin Thrasher of Escape The Fate asked the group if they’d be interested in playing their first show with them at The Glasshouse in Pomona, CA. The band agree’d and decided to employ Ronnie Ficarro (ex: Falling In Reverse) for and Justin McCarthy (ex: I Am Ghost) for all bass and drum duties, respectively.[2]

The show gained a lot of industry attention,[15] including Century Media Records. In June 2015, the band announced they have signed a worldwide record deal with Another Century Records under Sony Music Entertainment.[3]

The Struggle EP, Working with Matt Squire, and being dropped from RED Music

On October 2, 2015, the band released The Struggle EP.[4][16][17][18][19][20][21] It had a limited US-only release and received generally positive reviews from outlets throughout the nation.[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] The album was featured on Highwire Daze's Top 10 of 2015 List[30], Modern Rock Review's January Choice,[31] and was featured as a free-stream for one week on the frontpage of Substream Magazine's Website[32]

The band was featured on the 2015 Rock the Vote social campaigns [33] and last told fans they were to begin working on their debut full-length record with a "producer I've always dreamed of working with" according to songwriter / guitarist Justin Whitesel.

RED Music acquired Another Century and placed XO Stereo in the studio with producer Matt Squire (Panic At The Disco), however after finishing a short-run of California tour dates with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus in 2015 the band was dropped from RED Music and they disbanded shortly after.

Band members

Current members
Touring members

Discography

EPs
  • “The Struggle” (Another Century, 2015)

Videography

Year Title Director(s)
2013 “Show And Tell” Theodore Kushner, Douglas Riggs

References

  1. ^ "NataliezWorld: XO Stereo's Justin Whitesel Talks New Band Underway!". NataliezWorld. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  2. ^ a b "Community Post: XO Stereo: The Scene's Best Kept Secret". BuzzFeed Community. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  3. ^ a b c d "Another Century – XO Stereo". www.anothercentury.com. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  4. ^ a b "Another Century – XO Stereo: : debut EP 'The Struggle' out today". www.anothercentury.com. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  5. ^ a b "Interview: XO Stereo discuss new music, inspirations and more!". GroundSounds. 2014-08-15. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  6. ^ "Falling In Reverse announce early fall tour – News – Alternative Press". Alternative Press. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  7. ^ a b Willschick, Aaron. "XO Stereo – "Show and Tell" [Music Video] « Videos « PureGrainAudio.com". puregrainaudio.com. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  8. ^ XO Stereo (2013-08-26), XO Stereo – Show And Tell (Official Music Video), retrieved 2016-04-22
  9. ^ a b "Daily Rock Songs: What Lies Beneath "Show and Tell" by XO Stereo". www.dailyrocksongs.com. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  10. ^ "XO Stereo (@xostereoband) | Show And Tell | Audio | Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes". Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  11. ^ "NEW MUSIC VIDEO: XO Stereo – "Show and Tell" – PUP FRESH". PUP FRESH. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  12. ^ Schneiders, Marc. "VIDEO: XO STEREO – SHOW AND TELL". www.lazyrocker.com. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  13. ^ "New Music Spotlight: XO Stereo | Buzznet". Buzznet. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  14. ^ "Instagram photo by XO Stereo • Dec 7, 2013 at 1:07am UTC". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  15. ^ "Artist Spotlight: XO Stereo!". Buzznet. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  16. ^ "Sh*t That Comes Out Today: October 2, 2015". MetalSucks. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  17. ^ "XO Stereo Announces Debut EP 'The Struggle'". New Noise Magazine. 2015-08-31. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  18. ^ Magazine, iGNITE Music. "XO STEREO – The Struggle (EP) -Release date: October 2, 2015". IGNITE. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  19. ^ "XO STEREO debut EP 'The Struggle' out today". Wreckards. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  20. ^ "THE WEEKLY INJECTION: New Releases From CLUTCH, DEAFHEAVEN, CHILDREN OF BODOM, and More Out Today – 10/2 – Metal Injection". Metal Injection. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  21. ^ "L.A. trio XO Stereo announce release date of new album 'The Struggle'". Hellhound Music. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  22. ^ "The Struggle by XO Stereo (Another Century Records) | HighWire Daze". highwiredaze.com. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  23. ^ "XO Stereo". hardrockhaven.net. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  24. ^ "Make sure to pick up the debut EP The Struggle by XO Stereo, out today!". Music Junkie Press. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  25. ^ "NataliezWorld: XO Stereo's Trio Talks Of The Struggle". NataliezWorld. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  26. ^ "October 2015 Vandala Magazine". Issuu. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  27. ^ "Xo Stereo – The Struggle Review from Music Emissions". Music Emissions – Indie Music. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  28. ^ "Heavy Metal Album Reviews: Week of October 2, 2015". About.com Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  29. ^ "Hard Attack November 2015 Vol 2 Issue 2". Issuu. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  30. ^ "Editor Ken's Top Ten of 2015 | HighWire Daze". highwiredaze.com. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  31. ^ "Choice 5 for January 2016 | Modern Rock Review". www.modernrockreview.com. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  32. ^ Heisel, Scott. "PREMIERE: Hear the debut EP from XO Stereo, featuring ex-members of From First To Last and LoveHateHero". Substream Magazine. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  33. ^ "Rock the Vote on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-04-22.