The Bravery

The punchy modern rock outfit the Bravery feature Sam Endicott (vocals/guitar), John Conway (keyboards), Anthony Burulcich (drums), Michael Zakarin (guitar), and Mike H. (bass). The New York five-piece got its start in early 2003, a few years after Endicott (formerly of the Pasties) and Conway — friends from their days at Vassar College — relocated to the Big Apple and began putting a band together. After playing their first gig at the Stinger Club in Brooklyn in mid-summer, the Bravery's post-punk-influenced dance rock was all the rage.

A residency at Arlene's Grocery and whispers on the street eventually led the Bravery to a recording contract with Island Def Jam in the States and Loog in the U.K. The Unconditional EP followed in early 2005. Critics almost immediately trounced on the band. The Village Voice proclaimed the Bravery to be "New York's Official Next Big Thing" while MTV and Rolling Stone hailed them as an artist to watch. A co-headlining tour with Ash in the U.S. in spring 2005 coincided the release of the Bravery's self-titled album, which produced two moderately successful singles in "An Honest Mistake" and "Unconditional." After more rounds of touring, the Bravery eventually retired to the studio with producer Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against the Machine, Neil Young) to work on their next album. Splitting their recording time between Atlanta and N.Y.C., the group's resulting The Sun and the Moon, which explored added textures and new instrumentation, surfaced in May 2007.