Home Town Hero's Aaron Bruno (vocals/guitar) and Drew Stewart (guitar) were teenage pals while attending SoCal's Westlake High School in the mid-'90s. They were also big fans of those who made that town a music scene years before -- Rancid, Operation Ivy, No Doubt -- and relished in '90s grunge heyday of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Green Day. Bruno and Stewart opted to form a band out of their love and pa**ion for music. What started out at the Ice Monkeys would later be tagged Insurgence with the additions of Todd Burnes (ba**) and Ray Blanco (drums). At first, they were a hardcore foursome, however playing shows at the famous Whisky-A-Go-Go and the Roxy allowed the band to shape up personally and professionally; while recording a homemade EP, Insurgence christened themselves Home Town Hero. Various dates on the 2000 and 2001 Vans' Warped Tour allowed for national exposure for Home Town Hero as well as a major-label deal. Madonna's Maverick captured the band in 2001 and prepped them to work alongside the likes of fellow post-grunge hipsters such as Hoobastank and Onesidezero. A self-titled debut album was issued in May 2002, and single "Questions" was a smash hit among major-market radio stations. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide