Ticonderoga.

When I was a first-year college student in a small town in Iowa, I was in a band called Socket Wench. We played around campus a few times--there were always shows to play since it seemed like there was a bit of a band explosion on campus then. A group of high school kids from town, mostly professors' kids, would sometimes play with us. They were called Vivid, and we thought they were the cutest things in the world.

Okay so cut to now, ten years later I moved several states away. Some of my new friends here mentioned that they know some people also from Iowa, but I didn't figure I'd know them. Turns out that they were the Vivid kids (minus one), all growed up and playing under the name Ticonderoga. They had moved down here just before I did, and kept playing together. Now they're a great band who just signed to a label and are poised for greatness.

I saw them play live for the first time last night, here's a couple pics. Click for slightly bigger.