Originating in Phoenix, Arizona, the indie rock outfit Dear and the Headlights features Ian Metzger handling vocals and guitar, Joel Marquard on vocals, guitar, and keyboard, Chuckie Duff contributing bass and keyboard, PJ Waxman delivering vocals and guitar, and Mark Kulvinskas behind the drums. Before the group coalesced in 2005, Metzger, Marquard, and Waxman had already collaborated on music as a trio lacking any rhythm section. Their acquaintance Chuckie Duff proposed tracking several demo tracks, yet the configuration dissolved once those recordings wrapped. Several months afterward, Duff persuaded the musicians to regroup, stepping in himself on bass while bankrolling an entire album project, as Kulvinskas came aboard in time to anchor their debut performance within a fortnight. The five-piece soon shared stages with acts including the Bravery, matt pond PA, Make Believe, Idlewild, and the Hold Steady. In November 2006 the band inked a deal with Equal Vision Records, releasing Small Steps, Heavy Hooves the following February. Drunk Like the Bible Times appeared in September 2008, reaching listeners whose numbers had grown markedly through earlier road work alongside Jimmy Eat World and Paramore.
