XO Stereo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, CA. The band was formed in 2013 by ex-members of From First To Last, LoveHateHero, and The Hollowed and consists of lead vocalist / drummer Cooper Campbell, guitarist / keyboardist Justin Whitesel, and guitarist / bassist / keyboardist Jon Weisberg. The group was signed to Another Century Records with then became RED Music, a division of Sony Music and have released one EP entitled The Struggle. The group is known for the members past projects and the fact that each member plays multiple instruments in the band’s recording process, allowing them to stay a three-piece band.
Background
Formation
The band was formed by guitarist Justin Whitesel after finishing a tour with Eyes Set To Kill. He wrote multiple songs, even employing the help of longtime friend and colleague Jinxx of Black Veil Brides fame to help with recording duties. Whitesel then went on to enlist Cooper Campbell for all vocal and drum duties and Jon Weisberg, formerly of From First to Last, for all bass and additional guitar duties.
On August 26, 2013 the band released their first single and accompanying music video for the song Show And Tell. They hired session members to fill the roles of rhythm guitar and drum duties, as Campbell would be unable to front the band as the singer and play the drums at the same time. The song was met with primarily positive reviews and even got them a feature in Substream Magazine's Top Unsigned Bands. In September 2014, longtime friend Kevin Thrasher of Escape The Fate asked the group if they’d be interested in playing their first show with them at The Glasshouse in Pomona, CA. The band agree’d and decided to employ Ronnie Ficarro for and Justin McCarthy for all bass and drum duties, respectively. The show gained a lot of industry attention, including Century Media Records. In June 2015, the band announced they have signed a worldwide record deal with Another Century Records under Sony Music Entertainment.
The Struggle EP, Working with Matt Squire, and being dropped from RED Music
On October 2, 2015 the band released The Struggle EP. It had a limited US-only release and received generally positive reviews from outlets throughout the nation. The album was featured on Highwire Daze's Top 10 of 2015 List, Modern Rock Review's January Choice, and was featured as a free-stream for one week on the frontpage of Substream Magazine's Website The band was featured on the 2015 Rock the Vote social campaigns and last told fans they were to begin working on their debut full length record with a "producer I've always dreamed of working with" according to songwriter / guitarist Justin Whitesel. RED Music acquired Another Century and placed XO Stereo in the studio with producer Matt Squire, however after finishing a short-run of California tour dates with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus in 2015 the band was dropped from RED Music and they disbanded shortly after.
