Bon Savants

Without support from a record label, the Bon Savants managed to create a healthy buzz around themselves and secure opening slots with such indie rock favorites as Pretty Girls Make Graves, Rogue Wave, and Editors, while self-releasing a debut record in late 2006. Led by vocalist/guitarist Thom Moran (a part-time rocket scientist at MIT), the seedling of the band began in the mid-'90s, when guitarist Kevin Haley and Moran were temporarily residing in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1997, the two were back in the United States and began recording songs inspired by science and living in Germany after the end of the Cold War. Finally by 2003 they added bassist Dave Wessel, dubbed themselves the Bon Savants (French for "good scientists"), and with rotating drummers played the Boston area. Andy Dole joined as permanent drummer in 2005. The band's debut record, Post Rock Defends the Nation, was self-released in November 2006 and mixed by Bill Racine (Rogue Wave, Phantom Planet, the Flaming Lips).