Secret Dakota Ring

In 2002, guitarist, bassist, and songwriter Andy Ross was a member of the indie rock band Cold Memory, only to see them break up after a tour in support of their album Damage/No Damage. Out of sorts, Ross began spending time with Travis Harrison, a friend from his college days, and with Harrison's encouragement Ross began writing a batch of new songs. Ross and Harrison decided to start a record label, Serious Business Records, and Ross' solo project became one of their first releases. By the time Serious Business was ready to put out Ross' album, he had come up with a new name for his solo project, Secret Dakota Ring, and he was dividing his time between two other groups, the Unsacred Hearts and ZombieDraculaUSA. The debut album from Secret Dakota Ring, Do Not Leave Baggage All the Way, appeared in 2004, and earned enthusiastic reviews in the indie press for Ross' smart, tuneful pop songwriting. In 2005, Ross' profile received a major boost when he joined the L.A. indie pop act OK Go in time to appear in the video for "Here It Goes Again," which turned the group into an internet sensation. While Ross was busy touring with OK Go for much of 2006 and 2007, in 2008 he completed a second Secret Dakota Ring album, Cantarell, which was also released by Serious Business.