Co-founders Tyson Ritter (vocals/bass) and Nick Wheeler (guitar/programming) hail from Stillwater, OK, where the pair first embraced music as an appealing diversion from the ho-hum life of small-town America. Citing such influences as AC/DC , Def Leppard , and Bon Jovi , they formed the All-American Rejects in 2000, while both members were still in high school. Maintaining a full lineup proved to be difficult, however, so Ritter and Wheeler employed drum loops and preprogrammed rhythm tracks ...more