Secondhand Serenade

Before the explosion of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, the music industry had not yet seen a forward-thinking artist rise from the internet to find success in the mainstream. But all of that changed in the form of a lone man and his guitar. The year was 2007 when the #1 MySpace artist took the leap from the early days of social networking to the world of big box retail, releasing his first album commercially through a brand new record label.

The artist was Secondhand Serenade, the label was Glassnote Records and the album was titled, Awake. Fast forward a full decade later and the team is getting back together. Not only is Secondhand Serenade (real name John Vesely) back on the Glassnote roster, but the album that started their relationship many moons ago is being brought back to life in the form of Awake: Remixed & Remastered, 10 Years & 10,000 Tears Later.

While it may have been the first album for both the artist and the newly birthed record label, the fruits of their efforts together would not take long to see the light of day. Secondhand Serenade quickly shot to the forefront of the emo-pop movement, selling out tours, appearing on late night television and hitting the top of the radio charts along the way. Armed with a multi-platinum single in “Fall For You”, a growing reputation as a world class live performer, and his trusty acoustic guitar, the California based musician became the face of a genre.

After a relocation to Nashville, Tennessee and a break from touring, Vesely re-emerged with this 10-year anniversary album in February 2017 and a full blown tour in support of its release. The disc includes all 12 songs which originally appeared on the first retail release of Awake, along with 2 brand new songs. The originals have also been updated with some additional production on top of being remixed and remastered.

“I really wanted to update these songs and give them a bit of a fuller sound without changing the emotion and vibe. My fans have always gravitated towards these songs and this style so it was important to enhance them without changing the way they make my listeners feel” says Vesely. He continued, “Even the two additional songs I added still capture the vibe of the original album. I just can’t wait for my fans to hear how it all came out.”