Upstate New York's Gym Class Heroes combine snappy guitar rhythms, booming bass lines, hypnotic beats and conscious, witty lyrics to create a self-described "indie/hip-hop" fusion. To boot, the quartet uses live instruments and musicians rather than looped samples and canned beats to make their distinct sound. In 1997, drummer Matt, bassist Eric, guitarist Milo and MC Travis, formed at a high school party. Much of their early material would eventually be compiled into a series of EPs, which they sold out of backpacks and at local shows. In early 2002, the band decided to independently release a full length album ...For The Kids. The following summer, Travis was selected from MCs across the country to compete in the "Direct Effect MC Battle" at the MTV Beach House. In an overwhelming crowd response, Travis was decided the winner on MTV, earning him an appearance in the Styles P video "Daddy Get That Cash." In April 2004, the band entered the studio and recorded their next LP The Papercut Chronicles. Laced with honesty and sincerity, the record captures the complexity of the group's members while displaying songwriting abilities beyond their years. The disc landed in the hands of Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, and before long, Gym Class Heroes had a record deal on Wentz's Fueled by Ramen Records imprint, Decaydance. Recently, Milo left the band amicably to continue his architecture studies. Enter Disashi, who was playing guitar and singing for a punk band called Earl's Garage. With a new guitarist in tow, the new incarnation of Gym Class Heroes continues to tour and has been handpicked for stints with Less Than Jake, Fall Out Boy, theSTART, Boys Night Out, Emery and Midtown. They've also secured opening slots on shows with Naughty By Nature, Mobb Deep, Blackalicious, Jurassic 5, Fat Joe, John Browns Body, Yakballz, Run-DMC and Cam'ron. The Papercut Chronicles was released in February 2005.