The Ska Punk group Left Alone hails from Wilmington, California. Elvis Cortez, the group’s lead vocalist and guitarist, founded them in May 1996. To release Left Alone’s records, Cortez established his own label, Smelvis Records. Since then, the label has grown to include a large number of other underground acts. Left Alone published their debut full-length, Streets of Wilmington, in 2002 following the release of various demos, splits, and EPs. A year later, the group released the anthology Left Alone: 1996-2000, which included their previous, out-of-print recordings. Cortez participated in the Warped Tour in 2003 as a roadie. Kevin Lyman, the mastermind behind Warped Tour, picked Left Alone as the BBQ band for the 2004 tour after hearing their song. For the 2005 tour, the group received an invitation to return as the BBQ band. Tim Armstrong of Rancid first heard Left Alone’s 2004 album Lonely Starts & Broken Hearts while on the Warped Tour. Lonely Starts & Broken Hearts was re-released after Armstrong signed the band to his record company, Hellcat Records. On August 8, 2006, the band released their third studio album, Dead American Radio, which features Tim Armstrong and Patricia Day of the Horrorpops as special guests. On April 7, 2009, the band issued their self-titled album.