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Suite 88 (sometimes abbreviated as S88) is a North-American hard rock band formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 2008. Its style is rooted in blues rock, but also incorporates elements of pop, heavy metal, and southern rock.

The band has released two studio albums and one EP.

Formation (2007–2008)
Lead singer Mike Gunns and drummer Jesse Clutch met in their hometown of Calgary, Alberta in 2002 while in junior high school. After performing in bands together and becoming good friends, they developed a vision of the ideal rock band they wanted to form, but struggled to find other members that fit until 2007, when Gunns moved to Arizona and found guitarist Kolton Lee. After hearing demos of Lee’s playing, Clutch was convinced and moved to Phoenix to form the band. In the meantime, they picked up guitarist/bassist Patrick Thompson to fill out the lineup. Clutch arrived in late 2007, and the band began jamming blues and classic rock covers, as well as reworking some old songs Clutch and Gunns had written.

Suite 88 (album)
The band played local shows during the first half of 2008 under the name Wanted, but took the summer off to record its first album together, consisting of ten songs. Only four songs were newly written for the album (Ten Shots, Ten Minutes; Soul Rider; Uptown; and Heartbreak City)—the rest were recycled songs from band members’ various catalogs, plus a cover of Bad Company’s “Can’t Get Enough.” During preproduction for the album, the band decided to part ways with Thompson, and completed the recording process as a trio.

By October of 2008, work on the album was complete, but the band decided to release the album and move forward under a new name in order to give itself a fresh start. Seeking a name that related to all members being born in 1988, many possibilities were tossed around using the number 8 or the number 88. It wasn’t until Gunns recalled the name of drummer Tommy Lee’s band before Mötley Crüe—Suite 19—that he proposed the name Suite 88.

The CD version of Suite 88 was officially released on November 1, 2008, available for purchase through the band’s website. The digital version of Suite 88 was released to iTunes and Amazon MP3 on June 16, 2009. On this version, the cover of Bad Company’s “Can’t Get Enough” was replaced with a cover of Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way”.

The Early Days (2008–2010)
With a brand new album under its belt, Suite 88 planned to start performing again in early 2009—but before rehearsals could even begin, it once again needed a bassist. After a tedious hunt, the band met veteran bassist Max Wolf, and decided to bring him aboard.

In December of 2008, the band was contacted by MTV/VH1 cameraman Dana Pustetta, who had been passed along a copy of the album. Pustetta wanted to shoot a video for the song “Ten Shots, Ten Minutes,” and wanted to get to work immediately. At the time, Jesse Clutch was in Canada promoting the album, but abandoned plans and flew back to Phoenix for the shoot. At the time of production, the full band (including Wolf) had never before performed the song together. The video was shot primarily at the Buffalo Chip Saloon in Cave Creek, Arizona.

The band played its first show under the Suite 88 name on March 21, 2009 at Raptor Guitars’ 2nd Anniversary Bash, a festival-like all-day event. An All-Access Magazine review of that show called Suite 88 “A very solid unit that Arizona can expect to see a lot more of.”

“Ten Shots, Ten Minutes” was offered as the first radio single from the debut album, and played in April 2009 on CKJX (104.5FM “Rock 104”) in Olds, Alberta. After positive listener reaction, the song was put into regular rotation, and in early June the song entered the “Top Six at Six” on the station, peaking at #3 on June 2, 2009 behind bands Saving Abel and Cage the Elephant.

At the end of June 2009, the band once again replaced their bassist. This time, the band picked up young guitarist Vic Toon to fill the position of bass. The next few shows with Toon helped the band garner some local success, and Suite 88 began to develop a following in Phoenix.

The digital-only single Rock Star was released to iTunes and Amazon MP3 on September 6, 2009, and was premiered on radio that same day on 98 KUPD (97.9FM) in Phoenix. A music video for Rock Star was released on October 30, 2009. The video features clips of the band’s live performances from shows at several Arizona venues.

In November 2009, the band was contacted by producers for a brand new NBC show—Parenthood. The first part of the song “Ten Shots, Ten Minutes” was used along with a small part of its music video in the first episode of the series, which would premiere on March 2, 2010.

Musical Style
Gunns has stated that the band is inspired by groups like Aerosmith, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin, and Metallica, and that they usually strive to achieve a "Bob Rock meets Mutt Lange" sound on studio recordings.

Band Members

 * Current members
 * Mike Gunns – lead vocals, keyboards (2007–present)
 * Kolton Lee – guitar, backing vocals, keyboards (2007–present)
 * Vic Toon – bass, backing vocals, guitar, keyboards (2009–present)
 * Jesse Clutch – drums, backing vocals, dan bau, percussion (2007–present)

Dogs
The quick brown fox Jumped over The lazy