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Mayday Parade

Posted by Rachel Lux on 08-Nov-07 @ 01:08 PM

HQ: Tallahassee, FL NOW PLAYING: A Lesson In Romantics (FEARLESS) WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: Formerly known as Keepsake Summer, this group of Tallahassee 20-somethings back their crafty fusion of rhythmic breakdowns and '90s-obsessed pop accessibility with a staunch DIY attitude. YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: All Time Low / the Audition / Panic! At The Disco Being asked to play Warped Tour can be both a blessing and a curse, especially if you're traveling in a van. It's hot; you need a shower-and probably have for the last two weeks; and the overnight drives are killing you. But playing to those smiling-and sweating-faces makes it all worth it. Now imagine the same heat, lack of hygiene and miles logged without the satisfaction of playing a gig everyday. That's exactly how Mayday Parade-Derek Sanders (vocals), Jeremy Lenzo (bass/vocals), Alex Garcia (guitar), Brooks Betts (guitar) and Jake Bundrick (drums/vocals)-spent last summer while building a buzz for their self-released debut EP Tales Told By Dead Friends. "We decided to follow the whole [Warped] tour and brought a trailer full of CDs," remembers Sanders. "Everyday we would wake-up pretty early and while the line was forming outside, we'd go around with backpacks and CD players, trying to get people to listen to [the EP] and see if they wanted to buy it for $5. It was really stressful, especially doing it for two months, but it was definitely worth it. I think we sold 11,000 CDs ourselves in just the two months-and we only played one date in Jacksonville." The Parade will roll into town this summer on Warped Tour, but this time, the band will be tearing up the Smartpunk Stage-not just the parking lot. For this group of longtime buds who started out playing Bush covers, touring is actually one of the perks of the job and with the upcoming release of their Fearless debut A Lesson In Romantics, it looks like they'll be on the road indefinitely. "We want to stay on the road as much as possible," admits Sanders, "but right now we don't have anything booked yet. I love being on the road and I wanna stay out as much as possible. "There aren't a whole lot of bands from Tallahassee that tour," Sanders continues. "There's a couple that do, but most of the bands are just local. Tallahassee is not a huge place; it's a big college town, but it's cool. There's actually this little area of warehouses where a lot of the bands all practice. Any time you go there, there're a bunch of different bands hanging out and practicing." If anything, the strong sense of hometown camaraderie has lent a lot of support to the Florida upstarts when they're away from home-well, that and the excitement of playing live. From the flashy pop of "Black Cat" to the dance-rock thumps of "When I Get Home You're So Dead," Sanders & Co. are looking forward to what the future has to offer. "We weren't sure if anything was going to work out [with this band]," admits the frontman, "but I definitely think it was worth it." Taylor Mason