Eschewing the maritime folk synonymous with their East Canadian surroundings, In-Flight Safety are a four-piece indie outfit -- formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2003 -- influenced by the sweeping piano-based rock of Coldplay, Travis, and Radiohead. Lead vocalist and guitarist John Mullane, keyboardist Daniel Ledwell, bassist Brad Goodsell, and drummer Glen Nicholson first met at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. After winning a competition at the North by Northeast Festival, they decided to concentrate on a music career when David Bowie e-mailed them to say how much he enjoyed their debut EP, Vacation Land. In 2006, they released their debut album, The Coast Is Clear, whose title track earned them a nomination for Video of the Year at the Juno Awards, and whose music was featured on TV shows Chuck and Degrassi High: The Next Generation, and a North American ad campaign for Dell Computers. Following the success of their 2009 sophomore album, We Are an Empire, My Dear, they performed at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, and signed a deal with Conehead Records in U.K. and Waggle-Daggle in Germany to release their first record in Europe. ~ Jon O'Brien
