Locksley (band)

Locksley
from left to right: Sam Bair, Jordan Laz, Jesse Laz, Kai Kennedy
Background information
Origin	Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Genres	Power pop, Indie rock, alternative rock, garage rock revival
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Feature
Website	http://www.locksley.com
Members	Jesse Laz (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) Kai Kennedy (lead guitar, vocals) Jordan Laz (bass, vocals) Sam Bair (drums)
Past members	Aaron Collins (2003–2008)

Locksley is an indie four-piece pop rock/power pop band from Madison, Wisconsin. They are self-released on their own Feature Records label. Their songwriting is heavily influenced by early British Invasion bands with an instrumental style based more on early American punk bands and modern garage rock groups. The band describe their sound as doo-wop punk.

Locksley was formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 2003 by Jesse Laz, Sam Bair, Kai Kennedy and Aaron Collins. They were students at Madison West High School. The band relocated to New York shortly after forming. Their first show was September 10, 2003, at the CBGB Gallery. They recorded a CD of demos in their apartment called Safely From the City, which they self-released in the fall of 2004. Only 1000 copies were ever printed.

In 2005 Locksley released a five-song, self-titled EP. Several tracks off Locksley were licensed for commercials, including "Don't Make Me Wait" and "She Does" to Payless Shoes and "Don't Make Me Wait" to the STARZ network. Locksley was featured in the STARZ ad campaign as well, in a music video shot by the network. The EP and the licensing exposure attracted some label interest, though ultimately they never signed a record contract, instead releasing "Don't Make Me Wait" (a collection that included a mix of originals, tracks from the Locksley EP and some rerecordings of songs off Safely From the City) on their own Feature Records label in January 2007. (It was later released in Japan on Fabtone Records in June 2007 and in France on Minimum Records in August 2008). This release would be their first studio album and first broad album release. The band cites "Don't Make Me Wait" as their first album.

On January 18, 2008, Locksley announced on their website that bassist Aaron Collins would be leaving the band. Jordan Laz, Jesse Laz's younger brother, played bass for the band during a performance at the Mercury Lounge in New York City on March 20, 2008. He was officially announced as the band's new bassist the following day. Shortly thereafter, Locksley left on tour as direct support for Rooney and spent the rest of the spring in between tours with Rooney and The Hives. "Don't Make Me Wait" was rereleased on September 9, 2008.