Roots of Miniature Tigers

Dear and the Headlights was an American indie rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 2005. They released two widely known demos, recorded by future bassist Chuckie Duff, before their debut album was released. These demos included five songs re-recorded for the album. The most notable change to the songs upon re-recording was the drop from standard guitar tuning to E-flat standard tuning. Two songs heard on their purevolume.com page, recorded acoustic on a local radio show, also later appeared on Small Steps, Heavy Hooves. Small Steps, Heavy Hooves, the band's debut album, was released on February 6, 2007 on Equal Vision Records.

Phantom Planet is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald, Darren Robinson, Sam Farrar, and Andrew Parker (drums). The band is best known for their track "California", which became the theme song for the TV series The O.C.. Jason Schwartzman, now primarily an actor, was a founding member of the band, serving as the band's drummer until 2003.

Chronic Future was an American rock band from Scottsdale, Arizona. The band was formed in 1995, when their average age was 14. They achieved a short period of mainstream success with the 2004 album Lines in My Face, as well as the album's hit single, "Time and Time Again". The band consisted of vocalist Mike Busse, guitarist Ben Collins, bassist Brandon Lee and drummer Barry Collins, who are all founding members.