Singer, poet, and multi-instrumentalist K.S. Rhoads grew up in Michigan but relocated to Nashville in 2000, where he refined his autumnal and pensive pop/rock sound. His debut album, Dead Language, mostly recorded in Rhoads' East Nashville living room and produced by Rhoads, Lij, and Robin Eaton, was released on Alex the Great Recordings in 2008. Dark, conceptual, and sad, but filled with a survivor's sense of hope, Dead Language was an impressive start, and earned Rhoads a tour spot with Marc Broussard.