The Alternate Routes were formed as an outgrowth of a meeting between songwriting partners Eric Donnelly (lead guitar) and Tim Warren (lead vocals, guitar) at Fairfield University in Connecticut. Expanding to a five-piece and based at one point in Boston, the band was working out of Bridgeport, CT, by the time their first album, Good and Reckless and True, was issued by Vanguard in 2007. The album emphasizes straightforward guitar rock, with occasional gentler songs more in the singer/songwriter style. The Alternate Routes return with their rock and roll grit, ghostly balladry and seasoned guitar rock anthems on their new sophomore release, A Sucker’s Dream. Loosely based around a handful of themes–fortifying faith through adversity, holding onto hope as the dark horse–A Sucker’s Dream builds on the gorgeous, melodic compositional work of the band’s earlier works by adding decibels, power, vision and substantive ornamentation.