X Ambassadors are an alternative rock band forged in the classrooms and practice spaces of Ithaca, New York — a small college town in the Finger Lakes region that has produced an outsized share of creative talent. Brothers Sam Nelson Harris (vocals, guitar, saxophone) and Casey Harris (piano, keyboards), along with childhood friend Noah Feldshuh, began playing together in middle school, bonding over punk, soul, and hip-hop while pushing back against Ithaca’s prevailing folk and bluegrass scene.
Ithaca Roots
The Harris brothers grew up with access to Ithaca’s thriving arts community and music education programs, building their chops through local performances before the band took shape at Ithaca High School. Casey Harris, who is blind, became one of the most visible musicians with a disability in mainstream rock. The band eventually relocated to New York City, where drummer Adam Levin joined the lineup, and they signed with KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records.
VHS and the Breakthrough
Their 2015 debut album VHS earned platinum certification and produced three massive singles: “Renegades” became a multi-platinum anthem, “Unsteady” — a raw meditation on the Harris brothers’ childhood experience with their mother’s substance abuse — surpassed one billion streams, and “Jungle” became a sync licensing staple in commercials and film trailers. All three tracks dominated alternative radio and established X Ambassadors as one of the most commercially viable rock acts of the 2010s.
Continued Evolution
Follow-up albums Orion (named for Casey’s son) and The Beautiful Liar showed a band willing to experiment with electronic textures and more personal subject matter. Their 2024 album Townie returned explicitly to their Ithaca roots, exploring the small-town experiences that shaped them.
Ithaca’s Biggest Rock Export
X Ambassadors carried Ithaca’s name to arenas worldwide, touring with Muse and Jimmy Eat World and placing their music in blockbuster films and major advertising campaigns. A band born in a Finger Lakes college town that became one of modern rock’s most bankable acts.