The Little Heroes

Not to be confused with the 1980s Australian new wave band of the same name, the Little Heroes are an emo-tinged guitar pop band whose sound is best described by the title of their debut full-length, Cinematic Americana. Two of the band's members, bassist Trevor Pawlewicz and guitarist and keyboardist Jonathan Miller, first worked together in a punk band that formed in their Pennsylvania hometown in the mid-'90s and split amicably in 1999 as Miller decided to attend to his studies. While in college, the guitarist formed a second, shorter-lived band that included drummer Adam Caldwell, a fellow student. After graduation, both Miller and Caldwell moved to different parts of California (Miller to Los Angeles, where Pawlewicz had already settled, and Caldwell several hours up the coast in San Jose), where they maintained a long-distance creative partnership during the gestation of the Little Heroes. Finally, the trio began looking for a suitable frontman; singer and guitarist James Lombardo answered their classified ad and the Little Heroes — named for a sculpture project by art student Caldwell — were complete. The Little Heroes signed to the indie label Wednesday Records in 2006 and recorded their debut album, Cinematic Americana, over the summer of that year. Following the teaser single September Falls, Cinematic Americana was released in the spring of 2007.