A deep friendship several musical collaborations a period of 12 years and a chance audition was what it took for three musicians to form South Mountain Lights. The seeds were planted in 1993, when vocalist/guitarist, Rick Heins, and drummer/vocalist, Jason Farrell, met working at a record store in Tempe, Ariz. Over the years and through several bands, the two built their friendship and their musicianship. In 1996, Rick moved to California and later settled in New Jersey, before returning to the Valley of the Sun in December of 2003. Soon after, the two began to write songs with the hopes of picking up where they left off. After putting together a four-song demo recording, they began auditioning bassists and in September 2004, Adam Crofts joined the fold. The trio soon began writing new material and performed under the name Pacific. In May, after writing an albums worth of music, they began recording their debut album. Over the summer, they changed their name to South Mountain Lights, and returned with a full-length, self-titled CD that is both immediate and deep not unlike the friendship and music that brought them together in the first place.
