Artist Page - All-American Rejects

The All-American Rejects, were formed when Ritter, 21, and 23 year-old guitarist, co-songwriter Nick Wheeler, were teenagers in 1999. The pair left their Stillwater, Oklahoma homes and trekked to the Big Apple, to record what would be their debut platinum-selling record. They drove across the heartland to New York with less than $1000 between them, but armed with a notebook full of songs and big rock and roll dreams. I felt like I was in a movie, Ritter says, Me and Nick drove to New York with all of our Christmas money. It was more than an adventure for kids from Stillwater.

Ritter and Wheeler, who were subsequently joined by guitarist Mike Kennerty, 25, and drummer Chris Gaylor, 26, toured the world behind the chart-topping success of their debut single Swing Swing, initially released on Ohio independent label Doghouse Records in October 2002, followed by a release on major DreamWorks Records in February 2003.

With Move Along, Ritter and Wheeler spent 10 months writing in their makeshift writing rooms (Ritter: the beach. Wheeler: his tidy home studio) in Destin, Florida. I used the Brian Wilson approach to songwriting, Ritter says, where you sit with your feet in the sand and guitar on your lap except I was actually at the beach!

The bands seemingly long hiatus kept fans wondering, but when they listen to the All-American Rejects new album Move Along, theyll know why Ritter and the band took the time to craft 12 great pop/rock songs. We were gone for a year and a half, says Ritter. We were petrified. But now we feel like everything happened on this record, but so much more.