Days after coming together, Forever the Sickest Kids stumbled into their initial opportunity when vocalist Jonathan Cook accidentally outlaid several hundred dollars on prominent song placement at PureVolume.com. Without any material ready, the Dallas musicians scrambled to assemble a track before the investment expired.
Emerging after Ben Bradley and the Flipside disbanded in late 2006, the new group quickly shaped its first emo-pop number. “Hey Brittney” took two days to finish and was posted online, generating early interest for the lineup that featured bassist Austin Bello, guitarist Caleb Turman, keyboardist Kent Garrison, drummer Kyle Burns, and Burns’ stepbrother Marc Stewart on guitar.
Major labels soon expressed interest, and the band secured a deal with Universal Motown. Four months after formation, the EP Television Off, Party On appeared in 2007; its release triggered nationwide touring that included a three-week slot on the Warped Tour’s side stage.
With a growing audience and expanding catalog, the musicians recorded their first full-length album, Underdog Alma Mater, which surfaced in late April 2008. Further road work followed on an Alternative Press-sponsored package that also included All Time Low, the Rocket Summer, and the Matches.
After extensive touring, the band chose to issue a sequence of EPs rather than another album. The Weekend: Friday arrived in November 2009, while The Weekend: Saturday and The Weekend: Sunday were scheduled for 2010.
Sessions intended for the Saturday EP moved so efficiently that the group abandoned the limited format and completed enough tracks for a full album. Keyboardist Kent Garrison exited once the recordings were finished.
Now operating as a quintet, Forever the Sickest Kids released their self-titled second album in March 2011. Later that year the closure of their label created an unexpected setback. Marc Stewart departed shortly afterward to return to college.
Continuing as a quartet, the band signed with Fearless Records and issued J.A.C.K. in early summer 2013.
