Cavo

When the single "Champagne" lifted Cavo to national attention in 2009, the band had already logged eight years of hard work on the tour circuit. The group came together in St. Louis, Mo., in 2001 when guitarist Chris Hobbs, bass player Ryan Kemp and drummer Chad La Roy hooked up with vocalist Casey Walker, whom they found after a protracted search. The quartet soon grew into a quintet, with the addition of second guitarist Mike Tomasovich. Over the next eight years Cavo dropped two EPs and an album on its own Bullet 339 Records. These releases, however formative, proved the band had discovered its sound early on: brooding post-grunge heavy on power balladry and heartland earnestness. Warner Bros. signed Cavo after label executives caught them opening for Stone Temple Pilots in 2008. In addition to "Champagne," the group has scored hits with "Crash" and "Let It Go," the latter of which appeared on the soundtrack to the blockbuster Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Cavo's tour schedule has yet to slow down. They've shared stages with just about every modern rock band out there, including Shinedown, Rev Theory, Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle, Daughtry and Lifehouse.