 Less than a year later, Leeland Mooring, his older brother Jack Mooring, their cousin Jake Holtz, and friends Jeremiah Wood and Mike Smith, whom the Moorings had known for several years, officially signed as a band onto Essential Records, a subsidiary of Sony BMG's Provident Label Group.The five members began practicing at night after youth group in their church's building, which doubled as a funeral home.Leeland Mooring's first name was used as the band's name because the members said that "it sounded cool".