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Posts Tagged ‘Mayday Parade’

  1. Warped Tour Twenty Ten, Pomona, CA

    September 3, 2010 by Steph

    12:15 AM Taxi
    12:45 Set Your Goals
    1:00 Interview with Bryce of The Rocket Summer
    2:00 Reel Big Fish
    2:15 Riverboat Gamblers
    2:20 Interview with Ace of I Can Make A Mess
    2:45 Artist Vs. Poet
    3:00 Everclear // Mayday Parade
    3:15 The Rocket Summer
    3:50 Alkaline Trio
    4:30 Interview with Art of Everclear
    5:00 Interview with Mayday Parade
    5:15 Fake Problems
    5:40 Anti-Flag
    5:45 I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business
    6:30 Dropkick Murphys
    6:45 Alesana
    7:00 Agent Orange
    7:– Lost Cause
    7:15 You Me At Six
    7:15 Never Shout Never

    For Warped Tour Twenty Ten, friend and photographer Dave Endicott made out way up to Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, CA to be greeted with an already-hot day as usual. We knew the drill—go to the blow up schedule, decide on the bands to see, and then check in at the press tent for interviews.

    After we had gotten our bearings and planned our schedule for the day, Dave and I wandered around, trying to kill some time before Set Your Goals played at 12:45. We caught a few minutes of a band called AM Taxi who, as Dave puts it, “didn’t suck,” so we snagged a few photos of them playing a song called “The Mistake.”

    Set Your Goals by David Endicott

    Set Your Goals by David Endicott

    We headed over to the Altek stage and made it a few minutes before Set Your Goals was scheduled to start. Already there was a huge crowd, definitely larger than the last two years they’ve been a part of the tour, and the fans were excited for this punk-leaning pop-punk trio. A booming voice in true boxing-ring style blasted over the PA, “And the love child of Liza Minelli, rocky Set Your Goals!” They started with “Gaia Bleeds (Make Way For Man)” and followed with “The Fallen…” Although they were ready to roar and shredding as always, somehow the “punk kid” in them shined through—the weird kid that sat in the back of class and dreamed of following in the footsteps of their heroes in Rancid. Only, these guys are “livin’ the dream” The last song they called what I thought was “This May Never Happen” (is it new?) and we jetted back to the press tent for an interview with Bryce of The Rocket Summer.

    Reel Big Fish by Stephanie Spear

    Reel Big Fish by Stephanie Spear

    Reel Big Fish must be the only band in history to start their Warped Tour set early. As far as I know, the band was scheduled to start at 2:00, but at five-till we were still looking for the right stage and heard “Everything Sucks” blaring with brass section ablaze. “Thanks for watching Reel Big Fish” says lead singer and they begin to walk off stage. The crowd looked around shocked and a few boos could be heard. The band hadn’t even made it off the stage before they turned back around. “They said we have time to do one more song.” Those pranksters! “I Want Your Girlfriend to Be My Girlfriend Too” was their “encore” and they proceeded to thank the crowd again, only to come back “Okay, they said we can do one more.” They played nothing but favorites—“Your Guts (I Hate ‘Em), “She Has A Girlfriend Now” with great girl guest vocals, “Suburban Rhythm” and a ton of other greats. Being the first time I’d seen RBF live and them having been one of the first bands I heard that was not being played on the radio (yeah, that was a long time ago), I was absolutely impressed!

    Dave and I split ways—him to capture Riverboat Gamblers, Artist Vs. Poet and Everclear and me Mayday Parade and The Rocket Summer. On my way to Mayday Parade’s set, I passed a girl playing an acoustic show in the Altec Live tent. Becca was drawing in a crowd little by little and whether it was because she was a grungy girl wearing a leopard negligee or because she was rocking the acoustic guitar with powerful vocals, I’m not sure, but I liked it.

    I made it to the Mayday Parade stage with time to spare, but the stage was running a bit behind schedule. After waiting ten minutes, I decided to cut my losses and make sure I was in time for The Rocket Summer.

    The Rocket Summer by David Endicott

    The Rocket Summer by David Endicott

    As always, Bryce of The Rocket Summer put on a great show, opening the set with my favorite track off the new album Of Men And Angeles and also the You Gotta Believe EP– “Hills and Valleys.” An absolutely heartfelt yet upbeat song, the crowd sang it back to him as if it’d become their own anthem. He followed it with “Do You Feel” and then was inspired by the scenery to “create a song” performing his one-man-song via looping. It’s impressive to say the least—building a song by creating a drum track and adding keyboard, bass, and then playing a guitar solo. To those who hadn’t seen this several times already, it most certainly inspire awe. After he played one of my favorite songs “Brat Pack,” I regrettably had to move on to make it to the other side of the fairgrounds to see Alkaline Trio.

    On my way, I did catch a song of Mayday Parade—black cat. Which inspired me fore a few of my interview questions for Mayday Parade.

    Alkaline Trio by David Endicott

    Alkaline Trio by David Endicott

    Then Alkaline trio, which I would probably consider one of my favorite bands, performed well, but their set was a bit disappointing. From the majority of their set that I watched, they didn’t play any of my favorites. I’m sure that long-time fans loved that they rocked some oldies like “My Friend Peter” and “Armageddon,” but I didn’t hear any of the essentials like “Radio” or anything at all from Crimson. Opening with “Armageddon,” they followed it with “Dine, Dine My Darling” for “every time I dine” said Dan Andriano. “Calling All Skeletons” was giving guitarist some awful feedback that would have made some rock stars livid, but he worked with it and kept the song going. “The American Scream” from their newest album This Addiction was the last song I heard of their set, which they dedicated to “our friends at Epitaph Records.” It’s good to hear that some bands are happy with their label.

    Then we snagged Ace of I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business from his merch tent and asked him a couple of questions…

    With some time to kill, Dave and I wandered over to Fake Problems, catching a few photos of another band on the way. While I was a little worried about Fake Problems after hearing a short preview the night before, I was pleasantly surprised. I suppose I shouldn’t expect any less from a Side One Dummy band. They were busting out some great Americana rock, but it lacked the normal clichés. They played a new song “5-6-7-8” from their upcoming album Real Ghosts Caught on Tape (Sept 21 release) which had some familiar riffs, but I couldn’t place them.

    Dave and I parted ways again so he could capture Anti-Flag whose set he said was “insane” and they were “fucking awesome.”

    I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business by Steph

    I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business by Steph

    Ace Enders, having played in The Early November and as Ace Enders and a Million Different People, is back playing under the nom de plume I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business, a band name that seemed to be omnipresent among music lovers back in 2004. After playing two older songs, he performed a new song called “Old Man………………………”, which started slow and wandering and then had a great pick up into an upbeat track. The next song, “The Best Happiness That Money Can Buy” went out to “people who have a little feeling that never lets you stop.” He seemed so genuinely grateful for us just listening and “helping him achieve his dreams” and it was incredibly moving. It was hard at that moment not to be in love. His closing track was a big surprise—a partially-acoustic version of The Early November’s “Ever So Sweet.” And it was.

    Immediately after, on the adjacent stage, an announcer said to the crowd something to the effect of “she’s had a long day so show her some love” and out came a skinny blonde who looked like she didn’t give a shit. Whether it was part of the act or she really was having a rough day I have no idea, but no one was being allowed in the press pit for her set (perhaps to avoid any dark circles or red eyes being caught on camera?). This band, I discovered, was The Pretty Reckless. Taylor Momsen’s band. Unless you read celebrity blogs or watch teenage dramas, this name probably doesn’t mean much to you, but she’s an actress on The CW’s Gossip Girl. She opened with a track called “Light Me Up” but she didn’t sound any too pleased about being herself. During a break in the song she told the crowd, “If you’ve got anything to smoke, light it up, I don’t care what it is” and she continued to sing the chorus, “Light me up when I’m down.” Despite her I’m-over-this attitude (or maybe because of it) the crowd seemed pretty enthralled with this girl rock à-la Joan Jett.

    Dropkick Murphys by Steph

    Dropkick Murphys by Steph

    While I can’t say I’m an avid listener of the Dropkick Murphys, what I can say is that I know that they rock and kick ass. Before they came on stage, they played a beautiful female Irish ballad and then pounced on stage with attitude. They tore up the set and while it was a clusterfuck in the photo pit trying to shoot their raw awesomeness and although I couldn’t tell you any names of the tracks they played, the performance was fantastic and so full of raw energy they could have gone for round two.

    Dave headed off to cover Agent Orange (“They were showing their age. Great band, but they seemed tired.”) Lost Cause, and You Me at Six (“Girls must be all over them for their Australian accents”).

    I meandered to the “pop side of the venue” for my last two bands of the day.

    I have heard Alesana’s name before, mostly from the two Punk Goes… tracks they’ve done—“What Goes Around” on Punk Goes Pop Vol. 2 and “Apology” on Punk Goes Acoustic 2. I suppose from those associations, I had a bit of a misconception about the band, but nonetheless, their screamo dominated the Glamour Kills stage. Clad in almost entirely, if not exclusively black, these dudes were guitar-licking, screaming, and throwing themselves into the crowd as if their lives depended on it.

    In the photo pit of the AP stage before the next set, a fellow photographer whispered to me that some of the girls in the already-sardine-packed crowd were crying at the site of NeverShoutNever’s Christopher Ingle. While this boy’s music is the most adorable thing since teddy bears and his wide-eyed doe-y face and bush of hair makes

    NeverShoutNever by Steph

    NeverShoutNever by Steph

    him seem like the southern-bread apple pie boy that he is, the tattoos on his hands and the cigarette he lit while coming on stage made him look like the boy your mama warned you about. Appealing to all the girls who love a bad boy with a sweet side (what girl doesn’t?), this potty-mouthed hooligan opened with “Love Is Our Weapon” as he tucked his lit cigarette into his guitar neck. The harmonica around his neck only added to his lovability and before he played one of my favorites, he explained that it was about having a crush on a rock n’ roll girl with tattoos. “Trouble” is, by my account, a dangerous song, condoning the addition to a crush that is probably bad for all involved. He then performed the optimistic “BigCityDreams” and then caught the crowd off-guard when before breaking into “What Is Love” he asked the crowd to raise their hands if their parents were divorced. By his account, he seems to have come from a pretty typically shitty family situation and he shouted, “I hope our kids are happy as fucking fuck!” “I Love You 5” he said was about when he “loved a girl five times. But it took me five times to realize she was not my girl.” About Christopher Ingle of NeverShoutNever (or Never Shout Never) all I can say is that a wounded bad boy with a sweet side and a guitar makes for a very excitable girl following.

    The whole day was much more of a success than I expected. Lots of running back and forth but Dave and I were able to see a great range of bands who all performed great sets. Seems as though Warped Tour still has some life in it, even if the crowd and bands have changed a bit from the original tour in 1995.


  2. Mayday Parade’s Latest Release:

    November 20, 2009 by Jackie

    Mayday Parade’s Latest Release Anywhere But Here

    Mayday Parade albumReleased on October 6, 2009, Anywhere But Here is the third release from Florida-based group, Mayday Parade. Made up of Derek Sanders (lead vocals, keyboard), Jeremy Lenzo (bass guitar, backing vocals), Alex Garcia (lead guitar), Brooks Betts (rhythm guitar) and Jason Bundrick (drums, percussion), Mayday Parade formed in 2006 after the bands Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment converged.

    “Kids in Love” is an apt title for the first song on Anywhere But Here. The song sounds like something two teenagers in love might be playing in their car as they drive along an isolated road and into their future. Lyrically, the song reflects on those feelings from a person who is no longer a “kid in love;” something 99.9% of the population can probably relate to.

    The title track of the album is fairly self-explanatory, describing a want to escape and be “anywhere but here.”

    Mayday Parade bandIn “The Silence,” Sanders adds a nice effect with his vocals on the lyric “even though the world she loved, it won’t ever be the way it was” at the beginning of the chorus. It mirrors the instrumental back-and-forth of the notes in the background.

    “If You Can’t Live Without Me…Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?” has to be one of the best titled songs my eyes have ever had the pleasure of reading. “I can’t live without you” seems to be one of those lines put out there a lot in relationships and the band makes light of that and twists it to make not just a clever title, but an angst-filled song that matches. The title of this song makes the next one a bit ironic. “Save Your Heart” calls out to a girl to save her heart “for someone worth dying for,” or basically, someone worthy. I’m not sure that this was an intentional juxtaposition of songs on the band’s part, but I find the dichotomy quite entertaining.

    “Get Up” is a fast-paced, audience-participation-needed anthem to all the cities Mayday Parade has visited and pays homage to the greatness of each place. I imagine that when this song is played live, the audience is all on their feet jumping up and down and singing along.

    “I Swear This Time I Mean It” is the stand-out “slow” song/ballad on the album. It actually would have been nice if it had been stuck in a little earlier on the album to add a change in sound, instead of at the end (not to be confused with “The End,” the actual closing track on Anywhere But Here).

    At the risk of being overly blunt, Anywhere But Here is not much of a departure from most of the other music being played on the radio or on a MySpace channel but with that expectation set, the band does what they do very well. It’s a simple, well-written, well-executed, catchy, and very relatable release.

    Rating: (4/5)


  3. Simply Beautiful (Update)

    September 30, 2008 by Steph

    I am starting a list of simply beautiful (generally acoustic) songs. This is for those of you who love beautiful music.  If you don’t…read our other trash :). If you have any recommendations to add, comment!

    “Three Cheers For Five Years” (acoustic) – Mayday Parade – Punk Rock     Goes Acoustic II

    “An Offer She Can’t Refuse” – Reeveoliver – Reeveoliver

    “When We’re Old Men” – Yellowcard – Lights and Sounds

    “Intensity in Ten Cities” – Chiodos – Bone Palace Parade

    “Stay Quiet” – Western Legend – Across the Border from Del Rio

    “Coffee Break” – Forever the Sickest Kids – Underdog Alma Mater

    “The Armistice (Acoustic) ” – The Receiving End of Sirens

    “Giving Up” – Ingrid Michaelson – Girls and Boys

    “Your Call” – Secondhand Serenad – Your Call

    “Globes and Maps” – Something Corporate – Leaving Through the Window

    “Hear You Me” – Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American

    “Nicest Thing” – Kate Nash – Made of Bricks

    “What Sarah Said” – Death Cab for Cutie – Plans

    “Sky (Feat. Ingrid Michaelson)” – Joshua Radin – Unclear Sky EP

    “Existentialism on Prom Night” – Straylight Run – Straylight Run

    “The City Lights” – Umbrellas – Umbrellas

    “Hurricane” – The Hush Sound – Goodbye Blues

    “For the Widows In Paradise, for the Fatherless In Ypsilanti” – Sufjan Stevens – Greetings from Michigan

    “Shelter” – Ray LaMontagne – Prime (Origional Motion Picture)

    “You and I are a Gang of Losers” – The Dears – Gang of Losers

    More to come later…


  4. Warped Tour, Pomona – June 20, 2008

    June 24, 2008 by Steph

    Warped Tour 2008 – Pomona, CA

    Somehow when Warped Tour comes through Pomona it always has the luck of falling on the hottest day of the year.  This year was no exception – highs at the Pomona Fairplex and plenty of cash was spent on water and Powerade to stay hydrated.  Even so, the heat seemed like an afterthought with such great bands all around.  After standing in line for almost an hour in what felt like a greenhouse, the line finally started to move and after jetting inside, we quickly picked out our stage schedule for the day and planned it out in our phones.

    12:05 Forever the Sickest Kids at the Smartpunk stage

    1:00 Mayday Parade acoustic set at the Myspace tent

    1:50 Relient K at the Highway 1 stage

    2:20 The Academy Is… at the Route 66 stage

    2:50 Cobra Starship at the Highway 1 stage

    3:20 Gym Class Heroes at the Route 66 stage

    3:45 Set Your Goals at the Smartpunk stage

    4:20 Anberlin at the Route 66 stage

    4:45 Charlotte Sometimes at the Ernie Ball stage

    5:35 The Maine at the Smartpunk stage

    6:40 Mayday Parade at the Hurley stage

    As you can tell, we spent all day running back and forth between stages and we sacrificed seeing some great bands in the hopes of seeing them when they come back around in August.

    For the first set of the day—and probably the band I was most excited to see—we headed over to the Smartpunk stage to see Forever the Sickest Kids.  This really fun dance-powerpop band was as awesome live as I’d hoped.  They were awesome performers and filled the set with fun scream-along songs. We even found ourselves jumping in the already sky-high temperatures.  Their set included (but probably not in order) “Believe Me, I’m Lying,” “Phone Call,” “Hey Brittany,” one of my favorites off their EP Television Off, Party On “I Don’t Know About You, But I Came to Dance” and ended with “She’s a Lady” from both the EP and their 2008 album Underdog Alma Mater.  They were one the highlights of this year’s tour – don’t skip them.

    Ducking into the Myspace tent, we were able to walk right in and take seats right at the front of the stage.  Apparently Mayday Parade is still a too-well kept secret.  By the time two members of the band sauntered on stage nonchalantly, the tent was comfortably full.  Derek Sanders—front man—took a seat behind the keyboard and Jake Bundrick—normally on drums and vocals—took a mic and a stool.  They opened with a passionate rendition my favorite featured on Punk Goes Acoustic II “Three Cheers for Five Years.”  Trying to ignore some sound issues, they started in on “You Be the Anchor That Keeps My Feet on the Ground, I’ll Be the Wings That Keep Your Heart in the Clouds” and then closed with the heart-wrenching “Miserable at Best.”  Sanders and Bundrick’s vocals complement each other in this perfect sincere and emotion-filled counterbalance so though they pull off their sound so effortlessly (smiling at other things going on in the tent and ignoring the “jump, jump, jump” going on from the tent next door”) it sounds desperate and sincere.  This set was fantastic and an awesome surprise.

    After a quick bite to eat in the shade, we scooted over to watch Relient K’s set on the Highway 1 stage.  They played a lot of songs off their most recent release Five Score and Seven Years Ago.  They added a Kanye intro onto one of their songs that got the crowd pumped and they included one of my personal favorites – “Who I am Hates Who I’ve Been.”  They had a ton of energy and a huge crowd and really rocked out.

    The Academy Is… had a huge crowd since it was midday and we had seen them so many times, we enjoyed it from the back.  They played two new songs—the first sounded like it had a lot of Nirvana influence with a chorus that sounded like Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young.”  It sounds like a weird combo but The Academy Is… has always been a really inventive band and this experiment worked.  The other new track sounded like dance rock with 80’s influence with a hint at the melody of the hit “Take On Me” and the chorus repeated “I’m not in love” (I think).  Again, worked awesomely and I’m super excited for a new release from them.  They mixed in their Santi single “Big Mess” and Almost Here classics “Slow Down” and “Checkmarks.”  The set was a good mix and new and spurred excited for things to come.

    We jetted over to Cobra Starship across the Fairplex.  Gabe Saporta’s vocals got off to a rough start but he warmed up quickly and so did the crowd.  Cobra Starship’s Alternative Press cover says “Who needs cred when you’re having fun?” and these guys definitely have fun on stage (and probably off to).  Every song is danceable and the band doesn’t hold out – plenty of grooving and hip shaking happening on the stage.  They opened with the anthemic “The City Is at War” from their recent LP !Viva la Cobra!   They also played “Kiss My Sass,” “Smile for the Paparazzi,” “Send My Love To The Dancefloor, I’ll See You In Hell (Hey Mister DJ),” and their famous “Snakes on a Plane.”

    The entire Cobra Starship crowd rushed back over to the main stage to see Gym Class Heroes.  They started with an interesting new song about peace and peace signs and segued into “Cupid’s Chokehold” without Patrick Stump.  They played a couple of other new songs whose lightness with heavy fast bass reminded me of The Hush Sound, a fellow Fueled by Ramen band.  Next came “Viva la White Girl” followed by an announcement for my favorite “Taxi Driver.”  They started it the way I’ve always loved… but somehow turned it into a heavy metal axe battle with screaming?  I don’t know what happened, but I didn’t enjoy it.  They ended with the crowd and radio favorite “Clothes Off!”

    At first we were a little apprehensive of joining the Set Your Goals crowd—all rowdy guys—but we got over that quick and joined in on the pushing.  The sentiment came through loud and clear—rebellious fight songs with heavy bass, wild electric melodies, and gang shouting.  They played “We Do It for the Money Obviously,” “Mutiny,” “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “Don’t Let This Win Over You,” and their single and my favorite “Echos.”  Their set was awesome and exciting.  DON’T MISS THEM.  That’s an order.

    We wandered over to hear the opening song from Anberlin but I’ve never really been much of a fan.  Even my friend who has been a fan for years said their rendition of “The Feel Good Drag” was more of a downer.  We decided to saunter over to the Ernie Ball stage to get up front and personal for Charlotte Sometimes.

    And by up front, I mean UP FRONT since somehow they didn’t drag much of a crowd.  As the set progressed, the band caught the interest of passersby’s and by the time they finished there was a little mob of wide-eyed gazers.  Front woman Charlotte dominated the stage and everyone’s attention with her expressiveness and powerful, controlled, and sassy vocals.  She flirted with her guitarist and practically frontally assaulted her keyboardist with her face… but I don’t think they minded too much.  Her set included sassy single “How I Could Just Kill a Man,” with “Army Men,” “This Is Only for Now,” “Toy Soldier,” “AEIOU,” “Ex Girlfriend Syndrome,” and “Sweet Valium High.”  It’s a rarity that such a vocally-based band sounds as good or better live as it does on the album, but Charlotte Sometimes is one of these gems.

    While we were waiting for The Maine to take the stage, we caught of bit of wacky Katy Perry.  Did you know she kissed a girl and she liked it?  How many times can you say that in one song?  ANYway, the Maine came on stage full of eff-bombs.  Yeah, I mean fuck.  But he was cute and entertaining which masked their slightly generic sound.  Their style was like Forever the Sickest Kids meets Cute is What We Aim For without the comb-over.  They opened with “Girls Do What They Want” which front man John O’Callaghan introduced saying “because they are.”  They also played the song they included on the Warped Tour compilation “The Way We Talk” and Akon’s “I Wanna Love You” off of Punk Goes Crunk.  Also, “If I Only Had the Heart.”  One of the songs he explained, “This song is about peace. Actually, it’s about pussies. And cute girls. And guys like me.  And masculine boys.  And…moustaches.”  The vibe and energy of the band was what made watching them so fun.

    Last band of our day was Mayday Parade (again) who was a little late getting on stage.  They finally met the crowd to a ton of excitement (maybe they aren’t really a secret?).  Their sweet vocals mixed with the heavy drums and excited power-chord guitar makes for the perfect combination.  Sanders seemed like an unlikely front man as the guitarists were better at attacking the stage and standing front and center but his sweet raspy commanding singing made him worthy of the role.  Their set included a handful from their LP A Lesson in Romantics such as “When I Get Home, You’re So Dead,” “Black Cat,” and “Jersey” and they were joined on their final song by Travis Clark of We The Kings.  Unfortunately Sander’s call for everyone to crowd surf especially anyone who hadn’t before detracted attention from the band’s awesome performance as people were falling through the crowd right and left (not really the experienced-crowd-surfer-type crowd) the set was pretty excellent.

    We managed to escape this year exhausted and without too much of a sunburn only looking forward to doing it all again in Los Angeles at the end of August. Hope to see you guys there.

    Lots more photos up in our Mypace album.  Check them out.

    Stay Saavy,

    Steph@A2S