July For Kings is an American alternative rock band formed in Middletown, Ohio, in 1997 by vocalist and guitarist Joe Hedges, drummer Sam Dobrozsi, and guitarist Travis Delaney, who were soon joined by bassist Jason Morgan and cellist-guitarist T Miller. Initially performing as Vice, the group released the demo cassette Deeper (1997) and album Gods (1998) before changing their name to Swim and later to July For Kings upon signing with MCA Records in 2001. That year, they earned two Cincinnati Music Awards for Favorite Band and Best Rock Instrumentalist. The band released their national debut album, Swim, on November 5, 2002, featuring the single “Normal Life”, which reached Number 1 on Las Vegas radio station KMXB. Following MCA's closure in 2003, the group released the independent album Nostalgia (2004), which topped CD Baby's Number 1 seller list. July For Kings later released Monochrome (2009) and Middletown (2015), and has toured with acts including Collective Soul and Counting Crows.
