The All-American Rejects Artistfacts

2000-
Tyson RitterVocals, bass
Nick WheelerGuitar
Mike KennertyGuitar
Chris GaylorDrums
The All-American Rejects were formed by Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler when they were teenagers in Stillwater, Oklahoma. They met in 1997 at a club where Wheeler's band was performing. Ritter wanted to become part of the band, so he lied and said he could play bass. In fact, he'd never played a musical instrument in his entire life. He got a bass guitar the following Christmas and taught himself something to show Wheeler's band. In the end, Ritter got his place in the band thanks to Wheeler, who decided to make use of his voice. In 1999 they formed The All-American Rejects with Ritter the lead singer and bass player.
Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler have told different stories about how they got their name, sometimes saying it's a mix of two suggestions, "The Rejects" and "The All Americans," and other times claiming it came from the song "Reject" by Green Day, with the chorus, "a reject, all American."
When they released their self-titled debut album on the independent label Doghouse Records in 2002, Tyson Ritter was 18 and Nick Wheeler was 20. The lead single, "Swing, Swing," got the attention of DreamWorks, which signed them and re-released the album in 2003. Their next album, Move Along in 2005, was their most successful, with the hits "Dirty Little Secret" and "It Ends Tonight."
Before hitting it big, the guys lived together in Oklahoma in a house nicknamed "The Batcave," with a Batman sign saying "THE REJECTS" hung over the door.
After the band toured Europe in 2003, Mike Kennerty and Chris Gaylor set up a side project: a metal band called These Enzymes. They released an album called Henry in 2004.
Mike Kennerty played guitar and Chris Gaylor played drums on Ben Weasel's 2007 album These Ones Are Bitter.
The All-American Rejects have all their albums released on vinyl, as they believe traditional records provide the optimum listening experience.
They were influenced by '80s music - Ritter says his favorite bands are AC/DC and INXS. Music of the '90s, particularly grunge, did nothing for them.
After releasing their fourth album, Kids In The Street in 2012, they toured and then took a break to decompress. Over the next few years they played festivals, did time as an opening act for Blink-182, and released a few singles, but they didn't do a full headline tour until 2023 when they embarked on the Wet Hot All-American Summer Tour with other '00s favorites New Found Glory, Motion City Soundtrack, The Starting Line and The Get Up Kids. Asked about the possibility of making a new album, Tyson Ritter told People, "I never say never, but it would take a lot to get another record out of this band. It is a perfect little time capsule that we've created."

By 2025 the Rejects were hot again, welcomed by old fans and rapidly gaining new ones thanks to social media. That year they returned with a new song called "Sandbox" and announced a new album for 2026.
Ritter and Wheeler are the songwriters in the group. They write very intentionally, going to an unfamiliar place like a cabin or condo where they can find inspiration without getting distracted. "We just like to get out of our comfort zone," Wheeler explained to Songfacts. "We go to these places that we're unfamiliar with just so we can draw from what we see out the window. We don't let ourselves out of the house much, we actually buckle down and go try to work."
Tyson Ritter has done a lot of acting, starting with an appearance on the series House in 2007. He had a recurring role in Parenthood from 2012-2014, and in Preacher from 2017-2019. He's also been in the movies The House Bunny (2008), Miss You Already (2015) and Peppermint (2018).
In the summer of 2025 they played a series of free shows in backyards on what they called the House Party Tour. These shows were very well received by young fans eager for a concert experience that didn't involve $30 parking passes or $12 bottles of water. And although the small venues restricted turnout, they were well-documented on social media, earning the band lots of exposure.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Thinking About YouCalvin Harris

"Thinking About You" was the ninth track from Calvin Harris' 18 Months album to enter the UK singles Top 10. No other artist has obtained so many hits from one LP - Michael Jackson was the previous record holder with seven Top 10 tunes from both his Bad and Dangerous sets.

Don't You Want MeThe Human League

Phil Oakey of The Human League recorded his vocals for "Don't You Want Me" in the studio bathroom. The recording was disrupted by guitarist Jo Callis reaching through an open window from outside to repeatedly flush one of the toilets.

Born In The U.S.A.Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A." was inspired by the book (later a movie) Born On The Fourth Of July by Ron Kovic, a Vietnam veteran who protested the war when he returned home.

Silver SpringsFleetwood Mac

Stevie Nicks got the title for the Fleetwood Mac song "Silver Springs" from the city of Silver Spring, Maryland, but the song has nothing to do with the city - it's a message to her bandmate Lindsey Buckingham following their split.

I Write The SongsBarry Manilow

Barry Manilow didn't write his #1 hit "I Write The Songs." Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys wrote it.

Moves Like JaggerMaroon 5

Mick Jagger was a little freaked out when Maroon 5 released "Moves Like Jagger," a celebration of his stage moves. "It puts a bit of pressure on me when I go out dancing," he said.