Cavo

Cavo blends hard rock muscle with alt-pop melodies through the efforts of its four members: frontman Casey Walker, guitarist Chris Hobbs, drummer Chad La Roy, and bassist Brian Smith. Three of them launched the band in March 2001, and personal hardships—one member's failing marriage along with another's struggle with alcohol—inspired the material for The Painful Art of Letting Go. That record served as Cavo's first independent release in 2006, opened the door to joint appearances with Staind, and generated enough attention to attract Reprise Records. The group inked a deal with the label in 2008 before heading into the studio to cut Bright Nights Dark Days, which appeared the next year.