The American Secrets

In February of 2010, a new equation was formulated to solve the age-old question of how to make magic happen: 5 friends from 5 bands in the Detroit area = The American Secrets. Some call them a super group, others call them freaks of nature, and still others refuse to believe it’s happened. And these merry troubadours continue to make believers of the skeptics in every new town, every night, every time.

It all started when Steve Saputo, at that time fronting his band Manna and Quail, decided to simply gather some of his close friends from the Detroit music scene to see if they could win Fox Sports Detroit’s annual “April in the D” contest. Write a song proclaiming the awesomeness of Detroit sports during the month of April (when, usually, the Piston, Tigers, and Red Wings are each playing) and win some cash while having your song and video used as a bumper in and out of commercials for every game. It was harmless fun, who knew what could happen?

So he rallied Daniel Zott (Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.), Bryon Rossi (Schaeffer), Danny Rossi (Breath and Dirt), and Mike Mulliniks (Danny Cox band), to hang out for a few hours to see what they could come up with. What they came up with was the winning song. Within a month their video aired over 1500 times to over 3 million viewers and quickly they became a household name in the greater Detroit, and Tri-state area. In addition, the band was easily recognized by their tongue-in-cheek videos released via a dedicated YouTube channel…quickly understanding that their music is literally the only thing they take seriously about themselves.

Because of promotion obligations from winning the contest, Steve, Daniel, Bryon, Danny and Mike had to rally and write fast in order to have enough material for live performances that Fox Sports Detroit had scheduled for the band. Adding on a last minute moniker for the group to adopt, their first performance was at the Fillmore Detroit on opening day for the Detroit Tigers, and it’s been a non-stop ride ever since. While each of them would admit that the contest was just for kicks and giggles, none of them were prepared for the biggest surprise of all: how much fun they had writing, recording, and performing together.

Shortly after performing a couple shows at the Fillmore and then Comerica Park before a Tigers game, the guys decided to write a full length record…again, just for fun. There were no pretenses going into it: 4 lead singers and a guitar virtuoso from 5 different bands in the Detroit area simply had so much fun writing and performing together that they decided to dedicate every Thursday evening towards this full-length…they would write and record one song each time they gathered…until they were finished.

Halfway through this project, a friend emailed the band of yet another contest. It seemed that FreeCreditReport.com was re-branding itself and searching for a “real” band to use in their new commercials. FreeCreditScore.com was holding auditions for bands in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago…and also allowed online submissions as a fourth category. With their recent success in the competitive band world only a few months previously, the five gentlemen from Detroit rallied again for a last minute writing and video recording session…again, done in only a few hours…and submitted their video. And again, none of them were prepared for what would happen next.

FreeCreditScore.com chose them as one of the 4 finalists in the band search. Before they knew it, they were on a plane to Los Angeles to film their finalist commercials and record the commercial songs for America to see…and vote. The final stage of the FreeCreditScore.com band search was left to America to decide…and decide they did. Not only did their hometown of Detroit rally around them, but apparently the rest of the country did too. Their combination of catchy indie-pop accessibility and quirky videos captured the attention and, dare we say, the hearts of America. FreeCreditScore.com named them the winners, and shortly thereafter, America would come to know the band that now calls itself “The American Secrets” as the next fun-loving, all-American, bearers of good news.

Appearances at the LIFEbeat benefit with Ke$ha and B.o.B., the White Carpet at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, and the Live Nation - Fearless Friends Tour have done nothing short of leaving a wake of smiles and infectious pop rock songs stuck in the heads and hearts of listeners across the country. The American Secrets two EP’s “The Fight” and “The Flight” are currently available everywhere online…and are quickly causing all who hear to admit one undeniable fact: the secret is out.