Based in Ocean Beach, the Avant Guardians’ origins date back to a 1993 band in Tallahassee, Florida.
Founding members Mike Dobbs, Chris Hedge, Zac Dowell, and Jeff Warren had been classmates in high school and friends at Florida State University.
Hedge and Dowell later began writing songs that addressed themes of Christian science, theology, and spirituality, often relating to to Hedge’s own religious background as the stepson of a Pentecostal dentist. Multi-instrumentalist Leonis Cannonis completed the Pentecostal five piece known in 1995 as Naked Toddler (briefly featuring Sean Moore), then Eagle Feather. The same five musicians had already written and collaborated four of the songs that would go on to become tracks on Creed's debut album, My Own Prison.
The group relocated from Tallahassee to San Diego in 2011.