Emo's answer to the Monkees, Laguna Beach's Open Air Stereo owe their major-label contract to their exposure on the MTV pseudo-reality show #Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. The third season of this series, which aired in the fall of 2006, focused largely on this band and their signing to Epic Records, serving as early promotion for their debut album. Pretty-boy lead singer Chase Johnson, lead guitarist Kelan Hurley, and bassist Braeden Hurley formed the precursor to Open Air Stereo in 2001, adding drummer Nick Gross in 2002.
