The original line-up of the band was convened in Walston's hometown of Cleveland, Tennessee, after a demo tape he recorded in his basement beat out 350 contenders to win a showcase on a national festival.

[1] Shortly before the festival, the band released Here Come Trouble, a seven-song EP recorded in the living room of the house Walston and his bandmates were renting.

On April 6, 2007, the band self-released their first full-length album, Hail Mega Boys, recorded at the house where Gordon was living, dubbed "The Pirate Ship".

The band spent the next two years touring throughout the South, Midwest and Northeast, traveling in a church van they had purchased from a congregation in Walston's hometown and re-christened The Diaper.

"[1] During one show aboard a boat in New York City, Walston punctuated the end of his set by throwing his piano stool through an open window and into the East River, barely missing a patron on an outside deck.

That same month, they entered Sound City studios in Van Nuys, California with producer Kevin Augunas - proprietor of Fairfax - to record their first release for the new label.

"[9] Lead single "Don't Break the Needle" was used in the opening credits of the movie Contraband,[10] as well as the soundtrack to the True Religion Jeans Fall 2011 collection.

"[14] The release of the album saw the band's first nationwide tours, on headlining and support runs with Deer Tick, Lucero, the Drive-By Truckers, Shooter Jennings, Shovels & Rope and Jonny Fritz and the In-Laws.

[15] Essential Tremors was released on September 10, 2013 and was followed by a nationwide "Holler and Moan" tour with support from Fly Golden Eagle including a show at both weekends of Austin City Limits Music Festival.

[21] The band played acoustic versions of two additional tracks from the album--"Numbers Don't Lie" and "Heart is Free"—at Electric Lady Studios in New York City on August 21, 2017.

His maternal grandmother, a country artist loosely affiliated with the Grand Ole Opry, taught him how to play piano and guitar, and she was often dismayed at his attempts to learn rock n' roll.