On the Verge: X Ambassadors - USA TODAY
Hearing that track Litost would be featured in a 2012 episode of the prime-time soap, "we were all like, 'Oh, this is whatever,' " says drummer Adam Levin, 27. "Then it ended up that us being played on (the show) was what got the song onto the radio. The New York-based indie rockers are now reigning at No. 1 on USA TODAY's alternative airplay chart with Renegades. The hand-clapping, arena-rock anthem is the lead single off the band's debut album VHS , out June 30, which the group approached as a concept record. "We hadn't heard much of that in the rock or alternative world," lead singer Sam Harris, 26, says. Raised in Ithaca, N. Y. , Sam and his brother, keyboardist Casey Harris, started playing music in middle school with their longtime pal, guitarist Noah Feldshuh. The three friends met Adam when they moved to New York for college and formed a band — performing at open-bar nights and DIY venues, and taking out a shabby rehearsal space in Brooklyn. "We eventually found out we were renting it from a squatter," Casey, 28, says. " One day, Noah, 28, adds, "he just called us up and was like, 'Hey guys, you gotta get your stuff outta here before the cops (arrive). Sitting around one day and glancing around the room for inspiration, Adam looked down at. Source: www.usatoday.com
