Meese

The modern rock quartet Meese came together in Denver, Colorado at the start of 2005 when Ohio-born multi-instrumentalist Patrick Meese launched the project. His brother Nathan soon relocated westward to join the effort, and after immersing themselves in the local music community the siblings recruited drummer Benjamin Haley and guitarist Mike Ayars, both formerly of the popular Denver outfit For the Holiday. Together they began shaping material for an EP. By 2007 their distinctive mix of dance-punk, emo-pop, and straightforward modern rock had reached the influential local station KTCL/93.3-FM, sparking a major-label bidding war that culminated in a contract with Atlantic Records. Late that same year, fellow Denver band the Fray—who had previously opened for one of Patrick’s earlier groups—rose to prominence and invited Meese to join their tour, generating widespread national attention that heightened expectations for the quartet’s Atlantic debut, Broadcast. Released in 2009, the album was helmed by producer Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt, Depeche Mode).