Magna-Fi

Magna-Fi, also known as The Szuters and Outta The Blue, were an alternative rock band based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The group featured guitarist and lead vocalist Mike Szuter, his brother C.J. Szuter on guitar, bassist Rob Kley, drummer Charlie Smaldino, and later guitarist Christian Brady. They are most recognized for contributing "All Hail Shadow" to the Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) video game soundtrack and for their single "Where Did We Go Wrong," which was used in NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup.

Mike and C.J. Szuter originally found success touring and releasing albums in Japan under the name The Szuters, but their music rarely reached outside Asia. After their original bassist and drummer left in early 2000, the brothers—originally from Cleveland—relocated to Las Vegas in 1997. There, they recruited bassist Rob Kley and drummer Charlie Smaldino. While they continued performing as The Szuters in Asia, the group adopted the name Magna-Fi for Western audiences by 2002, due to confusion over their genre and the pronunciation of "Szuters."

The band signed with Gold Circle Records and released the single "Where Did We Go Wrong" in 2002, but the label dropped them the day after its release, canceling the planned debut album. The group then released the album independently through live shows before signing with Aezra Records (distributed by EMI) in 2003. Their debut album, Burn Out The Stars, was produced by Paul Lani, known for work with Megadeth, Failure, and Mötley Crüe.

In 2004, Magna-Fi performed at Buffalo's Thursday at the Square series alongside Fuel and Seven Day Faith, serving as direct support for Fuel for two months. That same year, they appeared at Ozzfest, later headlined their own tour, and became direct support for Sevendust for several months. After a sudden Sevendust cancellation, they played a veterans' show in North Carolina.

Following a 2006 tour, talks with Aezra about a new album fell through, and the band parted ways with the label, deciding to record independently. Shortly before the release of their second album, an argument with drummer Charlie Smaldino led Mike Szuter to give an ultimatum, and C.J. Szuter left the band. Guitarist and vocalist Chris Brady, a longtime friend and Las Vegas native, joined. The resulting album, VerseChorusKillMe, was recorded and mixed by the band itself and released in December 2006.