Lydia

Formed in 2003 by five high school friends, Gilbert, AZ's Lydia quickly set to make a dent in the local scene with their poetic and tender take on indie rock. Similar in sound to South Dakota's the Spill Canvas, and often incorporating eloquent male/female vocal harmonies, the band comprised Leighton Antelman (guitar/vocals), Maria Sais de Sicilia (vocals/keyboards), Steven McGraw (guitar/organ), Loren Brinton (drums), and Evan Arambul (bass). Lydia first got noticed outside their hometown in the summer of 2004 when they won a national contest put on by Atticus, the music- and skate-oriented clothing company founded by members of blink-182. Their prize was inclusion on the third volume of Atticus' Dragging the Lake compilation series, released in early 2005. Lydia's fittingly titled song "Smile, You've Won" subsequently appeared alongside popular emo and punk acts like Fall Out Boy, Mae, Motion City Soundtrack, and Rise Against. Their debut album, This December; It's One More and I'm Free, surfaced that fall via HourZero, a label and management firm based out of Mesa. Also in 2005, everyone in the band was finally done with high school, and Lydia was able to begin touring full-time. Eventually, Mindy White stepped in to replace Sais de Sicilia. The crew jumped on a few weeks of summer 2006's Warped Tour, while also spending time on the road with acts like Spitalfield and Days Away. Touring eventually became too much for White, who bowed out herself that November, and the guys pressed on as a foursome as they looked for a permanent replacement.