Convoy

Convoy's anthemic power pop bears the stamp of Brit-rock, Beach Boys harmonies, wistful Jayhawks twang, and feel-good jamming. The San Diego, California, group emerged in the late '90s when Jason Hill (singer/songwriter, guitar) and Brian Karscig (singer/songwriter, guitar) teamed up with high school friends Robbie Dodds (guitar) and Mark Maigaard (drums). (Bass player Shaun Cornell would be added later.) For their debut release, Pineapple Recording Sessions, the band relocated to a secluded, sprawling desert ranch in Jamul, California. They recorded the effort on an analog eight-track reel-to-reel, producing and recording it on their own. Subsequently, Convoy extensively toured the U.S. A couple of years on the road resulted in the payoff of a record deal with Hybrid Recordings (an Atlantic imprint), a national TV appearance (on the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn), and tours with people such as Aerosmith, Tom Petty, and Everclear. For their debut LP, 2002's Black Licorice, Convoy enlisted the help of producer Dave Bianco (Tom Petty).