American Authors

American Authors’ Zac Barnett had his first guitar built by his father, who is also a guitarist. ∙ The band formed while its members attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music. ∙ After dropping out of Berklee and moving to Brooklyn, the group changed their name from The Blue Pages to American Authors. ∙ In 2012, they won a car in an MTV-sponsored contest, sold it, and invested the proceeds back into the band. ∙ In 2013, their song “Believer” won the Overall Grand Prize at the 18th Annual USA Songwriting Competition. ∙ Their song “Best Day of My Life” was featured as the closing theme for the 2013 MLB World Series broadcast. ∙ They cite alt-rock bands Weezer and Nirvana, as well as legendary rapper 2Pac, among their influences.