NEEDTOBREATHE Rivers in the Wasteland

Named after the University of Alabama football coach Bear Bryant, brothers Bear and Nathaniel Bryant "Bo" Rinehart were born and raised in rural Possum Kingdom, South Carolina, where their father, a pastor, ran a church camp. After moving to nearby Seneca, South Carolina, the two siblings were exposed to a variety of music and started playing instruments themselves. While enrolled at Furman University, Bear—besides being an excellent wide receiver (he won the 2002 Banks McFadden trophy for South Carolina football player of the year)[3] – moonlighted as a vocalist, guitarist, and pianist, even finding time to perform around campus with longtime friend and drummer Joe Stillwell. Meanwhile, Bo studied architecture at Clemson University while playing guitar in his spare time, and he and bassist Seth Bolt joined the Bear/Stillwell duo to form Needtobreathe.

Seth Bolt had received a degree in recording engineering at Full Sail University, and the band honed its sound while recording several EPs at Bolt's Plantation Studios. A tour of Southeastern and Midwestern America followed. The hard work paid off when Needtobreathe came to the attention of Atlantic Records/Lava Records, who signed the band in 2005. A debut full-length album, Daylight (the cover of which was painted by Bo), arrived one year later, having been recorded in British Heliocentric Studios with Keane producer Andy Green. Tours with Train, Collective Soul, and Will Hoge kept the guys busy throughout the year, and they returned to the studio in December to begin work on their follow-up. The Heat was released in August 2007 spawning several singles and earning two Dove Award nominations.