Five Times August

Five Times August is the group name for singer/songwriter Brad Skistimas (born in Lewisville, TX, August 5, 1983). He uses the name Five Times August because he considers his real name too difficult to spell and remember; the name plays off his birthday. Skistimas built up a following largely through extensive self-promotion on the Internet. After an MTV producer discovered his song “Better with You” on CD Baby and used it on the show Laguna Beach, Skistimas recorded a full-length album, Fry Street, which he self-released as a digital download in 2005, and he was able to place every song on a program on a national TV channel, including MTV, Oxygen, Lifetime, CW, and Fox Reality. In 2007, an expanded version of the album, retitled The Independent, became the first disc by an unsigned artist to go on sale at Wal-Mart. Skistimas also tours extensively, booking his shows himself. In 2007, he was on the road for eight months and performed in 43 states. He self-released his second album, Brighter Side, on March 18, 2008. On Life as a Song, released October 20, 2009, Skistimas re-recorded songs from his first two albums. ~ William Ruhlmann