Cool for August was a rock band consisting of notable Canadian singer-songwriter Shad Hills on guitar, Andrew Shives on bass, Gordon Vaughn on vocals, Trevor Kustiak on guitar, and Shane Hills on drums. They made their television debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien with their hit song "Trials". While it was not their highest-charting single, "Walk Away" was considered their most accessible song and received its own single in stores. The band resurfaced a few years later in 2001 (after long speculation that the band had broken up) with an online single "Say it isn't So". The band added bandmate Chris Harris, guitar and violin, and completed a demo of six songs (produced by Jeff Tomei and Joey Huffman), about half of an anticipated upcoming album. However, with no more support from Warner Brothers or any other major labels, the band called it quits.

With the disbanding of Cool for August in 2001, Gordon stepped back from the mainstream music scene. He is currently a freelance producer and artist. In 2003 he wrote, produced, and took lead vocals on the song, "Broken Hearts, Broken Lands" for the independent songwriting/producing firm Egg's Productions. He also produced a rap song, "Lucky Charm" for the same company.