The Sands formed in 2012 after Jeff Grant, Jason Groth, and Mike Bridavsky played a few shows as a Wipers tribute band, wanting then to further explore their newfound chemistry. After learning a couple of Groth's songs, they decided to switch Grant from drums to guitar, to double their singing and songwriting prowess. Quite illogically, they enlisted the drum talents of Carbondale, IL resident Taylor Sprehe, who willingly rode his motorcycle four hours each direction to practice, play shows, or record. Sprehe quit after this proved to be too time-consuming, and the band sat in limbo for some time, a completed record in the can. After some time, they enlisted Bloomington drummer Josh Morrow, who would reinvigorate the group and ultimately re-record the drum tracks on the album to better document the current sound of the group. This became the "Hotel & Casino" album, released in early 2014. Shortly after, Groth moved to Raleigh, NC, and Morrow to Nashville, TN. Still, the band's work remains unfinished, and they vow to reconvene someday.