The Exies

The Exies formed in Los Angeles in 1997, when singer and guitarist Scott Stevens drafted bassist Freddy Herrera and drummer Thom Sullivan to form a new group. Stevens' friend Chris Skane played guitar in an early incarnation of the band but left, and was replaced by guitarist David Walsh. Stevens picked the name "The Exies" from a John Lennon biography, stating on Rockline that it was the only Beatles-related name left that was not taken, a reference to the art students who called themselves "the existentialists" among the social groups the Beatles encountered while touring Hamburg, Germany in the 1960s, with Lennon coining the shortened term "the exies." The band's early sound was rooted in the raw, live energy of the late-1990s Los Angeles rock scene, and they released their self-titled debut album in 2000 on Ultimatum Records, touring extensively behind it. That touring led directly to their breakthrough. Producer Matt Serletic, known for his work with matchbox twenty, had been impressed by the Exies' performance at Birmingham, Alabama's 2000 City Stages Festival, and went on to produce the band's major-label debut. The result was 2003's "Inertia," released on Virgin Records, which became their most successful album, reaching number 115 on the Billboard 200. Its lead single, "My Goddess," launched the band into the mainstream, drawing major rock radio rotation nationwide while its video climbed to the top 10 on MTV2. The band followed with 2004's "Head for the Door," whose single "Ugly" became a modern rock hit and, according to some accounts, eventually served as World Wrestling Entertainment's theme song for their Survivor Series 2004 pay-per-view event. Together, their two Virgin Records releases sold over 400,000 copies combined. The classic lineup driving this era paired Stevens' vocals and guitar with Herrera on bass, Walsh on guitar, and drummer Dennis Wolfe.