Five A.M.

San Francisco-based outfit Five A.M. delivers an alternative-rock sound built on the push-and-pull of soaring, anthemic refrains set against introspective, atmospheric verses. The lineup was assembled by vocalist and guitarist Trent Yaconelli alongside guitarist Zach Hammer, bassist Zack Miller, drummer Jed Friesen, and percussionist Benjie Kushins. Early club dates earned them the support of similarly inclined acts such as Dishwalla and Train. Teaming with producer Bruce Kaphan, the musicians launched sessions for a first album only to discover they lacked sufficient funds to finish. A direct appeal to supporters yielded more than $20,000, allowing completion of Degrees of Falling. After claiming victory in Miller Genuine Draft’s North Bay Battle of the Bands, the band issued the record and embarked on tour in fall 2002.

The next twelve months brought This Morphine Life, an album whose realization was aided in part by the president of a recording college who discovered the group through a campus webcast. In 2007 the ensemble issued the single “Still in Love with You,” paired with a short film featuring Ice-T, Edward Furlong, and Rumer Willis. Welcoming bassist Jason McGrath, the group unveiled its third full-length, Raise the Sun—produced by Jeff Dawson (Daniel Powter) and mixed by Mike Fraser (Aerosmith, Hinder)—the following year.