The Midnight Strangers are an indie rock band formed in Austin, Texas, in 2016 by members Chris Swimley (lead vocals, drums) Caleb Severn (guitar) and Jack Cox (bass). Their first studio album, “Exit Door”, was written and recorded by Chris as a way to find band members and get shows. The songs were heavy influenced by his favorite bands: The Doors, Arcade Fire, and The Killers. He received assistance on lead guitar on a few tracks from local studio musician Chris Gebhard, and had the album mixed and mastered by producer/engineer Eric Wofford at Cacophony Recorders. Though this is the first album for the band, Chris had already been in many groups prior to moving to Austin. He was a studio drummer for 10 years, and toured the country multiple times with different groups. Tired of his life being dictated by touring, and wanting to expand musically, he began recording his own music. In 2007, he received a small production deal with a record producer out of Los Angeles. The album helped him win Best Male Vocalist of the Year at the LA Music Awards. Shortly thereafter, he relocated to San Francisco and spent the next 5 years writing new music and playing shows. Wanting a change, and to be a part of a city that supported live music, Chris relocated to Austin. He wrote and recorded “Exit Door” and began his search for bandmates. Caleb responded to Chris’s ad by sending a live video of the song “Desperation” off of “Exit Door”, playing all the guitar parts note for note. The two met and quickly hit it off. It was only a short time later that Chris and Caleb met up with Jack and the band was formed. Now the group is working hard to build a following and get shows with their favorite local bands: The Black Angels, Holy Wave and Tele Novella. Their goal is to play shows at iconic local events like SXSW, Austin City Limits, Sound on Sound, and Levitation Music Festival. www.midnightstrangers.com