Wry, thoughtful singer/songwriter Cary Brothers broke into the mainstream with the single "Blue Eyes," a gorgeously articulate allad he contributed to 2004's Grammy-winning, hip-artist-showcasing Garden State soundtrack. Born in 1974 to a watercolorist mother and surgeon father, Brothers eschewed the sounds of his native Nashville in favor of Britpop artists like the Cure and the Smiths. Brothers attended college at Northwestern University in the early '90s, where he met Zach Braff, the writer, director, and star of Garden State. Both moved to L.A. after graduation, where Braff rounded out his acting résumé and Brothers partnered with a friend to open a small production company that produced, among other things, the Freddie Prinze, Jr., movie Sparkler.

By 2002, though, his instinct to make music had overtaken his drive to rub shoulders with Hollywood insiders. Brothers, who by then had developed an appreciation for the country-folk music he couldn't be bothered with as a youngster in Nashville, began playing around L.A. at such venues as the Hotel Cafe, a local haunt for upcoming singer/songwriters. There he honed the early material that would win over more than 10,000 buyers for his reverb-ringed spring 2005 EP All the Rage.