Secondhand Serenade is an acoustic rock solo project fronted by vocalist and guitarist John Vesely. The solo project began in 2004 after forming in his home town of Menlo Park, California, USA. Vesely has released 2 albums to date under the name Secondhand Seranade: Awake (2007) and A Twist In My Story (2008). The debut album used multitrack recording to create the sound of a band using technology, the second album took a different path, using a proper band and an orchestra to establish a more accomplished sound.

History

Awake

With the help of his father, a professional jazz musician for over 20 years in the Czech Republic, Vesely started getting into music around the age of 12. Playing bass for 8 years, he was a member of numerous Bay area bands ranging in style from ska and hardcore to rock and pop. But it wasn’t until he picked up the acoustic guitar that he finally found his true calling. "I switched to guitar when I met my wife. She wanted me to play her a song, but I didn't have a band at the time and serenading her with a bass guitar was out of the question", Vesely said.

Once he began writing his own material, John scraped up the money for 8 days of studio time and went in to record his 10-track debut album, Awake, in the summer of 2005. The album, which was the acoustic album, would prove to be the groundwork for the start of his career. When it came time to chose a name, he decided to go with Secondhand Serenade in an attempt to stay away from the typical singer/songwriter image. "It's everything I would want in a band name and more. It basically sums up what I do. I write my songs about events and feelings that occur in my life, and I sing the songs to my wife. Everyone else gets the Secondhand Serenade."

With his eyes set on conquering a fan base, John put together a MySpace page and started playing out in his area. As the number of listeners at his shows began to grow, so did his on-line fan base. In just a few months time, Secondhand Serenade would rise to the 1 position of all unsigned bands on the widely popular site. Simultaneously, he would become the only unsigned act to have a CD in the top 100 alternative albums on iTunes. He also released a few demos on Yahoo! Launch, which would soon claim the 1 position as well, on the Adult Alternative station. This time, he was not beating out other unsigned acts, he was competing with the cream of the crop, and winning.

As 2006 began to wind down, John’s career was in full swing as he stepped to the next level. Having made the rounds to major labels in New York and Los Angeles, a deal was eventually signed with Glassnote Records, a brand new label started by respected industry veteran, Daniel Glass. As Glassnote’s first official artist, the team immediately went to work mapping out the next year for Secondhand Serenade, along with the help of Warner/Independent Label Group.

2007 now looks to be an eventful year as well. With 2 new songs added to Awake, Glassnote/ILG released the album to retail on February 6th. MTV quickly jumped on board and filmed a 3 minute news package on him called "You Hear It First." In addition, a video was shot with Frank Borin (director for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Good Charlotte, Eminem) for the song "Vulnerable", a fan favorite. It was quickly added to MTV’s "Big 10" and "Discover & Download" series. This year will also provide Secondhand Serenade an opportunity to see his fans from all over the U.S.A. Having recently played SXSW, and a co-headlining tour with Monty Are I, numerous other tours are currently taking shape, including a support slot on Hawthorne Heights run of the U.S. John anticipates giving his audience from coast to coast, a firsthand experience.His second studio album "A Twist In My Story"

A Twist In My Story

A Twist In My Story is Secondhand Serenade's second album to date and first on Warner Glassnote. It was released on February 19, 2008 and features songs from Awake such as "Maybe" and "Your Call," but reproduced with a full band. The bulk of the album however is a list of new songs written by John Vesely and recorded with a full band. Two tracks on A Twist In My Story were produced by famed producer Butch Walker, while the others were produced by former Nine Inch Nails member Danny Lohner. The first single, "Fall For You," was released January 21, 2008. The album was leaked, and was made available for download one month before its official release. On January 28, 2008 the music video for the first single from the album "Fall For You" premiered on the popular MTV show TRL.