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Mayday Parade

Derek Sanders - vocals Brooks Betts - guitar Alex Garcia - guitar Jeremy Lenzo - bass Jake Bundrick - drums

"If you're looking for fun music with catchy hooks, talented musicians and vocalist's who can actually sing well, this is a band you need to check out."-Punknews.org

It is not even past noon and yet the hot sun is already torturing the hundreds of cars parked outside the Warped Tour gates in Denver. The seemingly endless line is just about inside, which means only one thing for the Tallahassee, Florida based quintet known as Mayday Parade: about ten hours of absolutely nothing to do but wait. They already spent the last few hours walking up and down the line of kids at the entrance making new friends and more importantly, new fans. When the show finally ends later that evening the boys will once again strap on their book bags full of cds and talk to anyone and everyone they can find. "The hardest part was the waiting. Most of the time our van would be blocked in and there was nowhere to go," says guitarist Brooks Betts. "It was too hot to sleep and except for a couple of times, we couldn't even get into the show." By the conclusion of the 2006 Vans Warped Tour, Mayday Parade made 10,000 new fans without playing a single show. Now with 210,000+ MySpace friends, features in everything from Alternative Press to Outburn to Substream, and having just finished up the entire 2008 Vans Warped Tour, Mayday Day Parade is not letting up one bit. On October 9th Every Avenue will kick off "The Compromising of Integrity, Morality & Principles in Exchange for Money Tour” in Norfolk, VA. They also have a major music festival in the UK and a stop in Japan with Paramore, under their belt as well.

The band formed in the winter of 2005 when two local Tallahassee bands, Defining Moment and Kid Named Chicago, decided to merge. The still unnamed collection of Derek Sanders, Alex Garcia, Jake Bundrick, Jeremy Lenzo, and Brooks Betts entered the studio with producer Lee Dyess and took under a week to finish their debut EP, "Tales Told by Dead Friends." While in the studio the band settled on the name Mayday Parade. As a band they would spend a lot of time climbing onto the rooftops in Tallahassee, especially when the winter parade was going on downtown. Alex, who was a fan of the word Mayday, made the suggestion that they name the band Mayday Parade in an effort to remember their time spent watching the hometown parades together from the rooftops. Everyone loved the idea and the name stuck. It became clear that more touring was on the horizon for Mayday Parade after finishing the EP and selling over 10,000 copies while following the 2006 Vans Warped Tour.

"Following Warped taught us so much about touring," says singer Derek Sanders, "and now we are traveling to places we have never even played and there are kids singing songs that we wrote. It's a pretty great feeling." Mayday Parade's hard work and dedication was finally rewarded in the fall of 2006 when the band signed with California based Fearless Records. "The dream had finally come true," remembers Brooks. "It was like reaching the final step at the top of a very long set of stairs. And Fearless believed in us and admired what we had accomplished on our own."

In September 2006, Mayday Parade embarked on their first full U.S. tour with Brandston and Melee, followed by a second U.S. tour with Plain White T's. Having sold over 20,000 copies of the EP, Mayday was ready to get back into the studio. In January and February of 2007 the band entered the studio with producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount (Cartel, All Time Low) and the tracks were mixed by Mark Needham (My Chemical Romance, The Academy Is). The new record, entitled "A Lesson in Romantics," showcases the band's maturity and growth. The songs are much deeper and more powerful than those on the EP but still have that irresistible catchiness that made thousands of people fall in love with the band to begin with. Making its debut in July of 2007, the album was received with enthusiasm. Dubbed "the best album to come out this year" by the MTV GirlsGonePunk Blog, A Lesson in Romantics has sold nearly 45,000 copies and reached #1 on both Absolute Punk's King of the Hill Feature, #1 on PureVolume.com and #1 on SmartPunk.com.

After their album's release, Mayday Parade co-headlined a tour with Bedlight for Blue Eyes, hit the stages of the Vans Warped Tour, and have since toured with As Cities Burn, Paramore, Madina Lake, All Time Low, and Emery. Not only has Mayday made the cover of Substream Magazine and Campus Activities Magazine, they've been featured in Spin, AMP, Pollstar, and Alternative Press Magazine. The band's music video for "When I Get Home, You're So Dead" premiered on the front page of MySpace music, garnering more than 75,000 plays in just two days. With this kind of attention, it's easy to see why Mayday's tunes are being spun on radio stations across the country, from Chicago's WKQX to Orlando's WOCL. 2008 is definitely not an exception to their rigorous touring schedule. Having just finished up the entire 2008 Vans Warped Tour, Mayday Day Parade also has some major music festivals in the UK and a stop in Japan with Paramore, under their belt as well. When meeting Mayday Parade for the first time there is one deniable truth: the band does everything for each other. "My favorite part of being in Mayday Parade is the people I'm playing music with," says bassist Jeremy Lenzo. "The dedication is always there." The boys are always having fun, never taking anything too seriously and this positive energy shines in their live show. One finds it nearly impossible not to smile while watching Mayday Parade performs their always fun, energetic set. Mayday Parade will not leave your stereo. Once the honesty of their lyrics and the power of their music enter your head, not only will it be stuck there for days, but you will find yourself making strides to keep it there intentionally.

"It was Brooks' birthday the night that we flipped our brand new trailer heading from Wisconsin to Minnesota," remembers drummer Jake Bundrick. "The girl who was driving for us almost hit a deer and lost control. All I remember is looking out the window and seeing the trailer next to the van instead of behind it. Our cds were all over the highway… but that didn't stop us." If countless hours in the boiling sun, sleeping in the van, overnight drives, and five day camping stints on the side of the highway could not stop them, you can be sure that nothing will derail their success.

Let Mayday Parade's hard work and dedication ring true in an industry where so many bands expect to have everything handed to them. Shawn Milke

Twitter Updates

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!! :()
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Latest bulletin 10.27.09

Ask Mayday Parade A Question

Hello Mayday Parade fans. While the band is out on the road, they have asked me to gather questions from all of you. This is your chance to ask them any...

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We Have a Winner and a New Contest Nov 18
Ask Mayday Parade A Question Oct 27
Win Tickets to See Mayday Parade Oct 13

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Nov 18, 11:42 AM

We Have a Winner and a New Contest

Thanks to everyone who entered the Anywhere But Here photo contest. Congratulations to Jessicaa324. We will be sending her a setlist from the AP Fall Ball Tour.

Next up for grabs is an AP Fall Ball tour poster signed by the band. All you have to do to enter is be registered on MaydayParade.com. If you're already registered, you're all set. If you're not, you can register for the band’s site by clicking the Join the Community button on the Home page. Registering only takes a minute and entering to win the signed poster is really that simple. We'll randomly pick five winners at the end of the week so make sure you are registered.
Oct 27, 10:11 AM

Ask Mayday Parade A Question

Hello Mayday Parade fans. While the band is out on the road, they have asked me to gather questions from all of you. This is your chance to ask them anything. All you have to do is comment on the post on MaydayParade.com with your question. I’ll then send them to the band and get as many answers as I can. Stay tuned to the site for some upcoming Q&A videos.
Oct 13, 12:34 PM

Win Tickets to See Mayday Parade

Head over to MaydayParade.com for your chance to win tickets to see Mayday Parade on the AP Fall Ball Tour.
Oct 06, 04:01 PM

Anywhere But Here Available Now!

It is here. Our album, Anywhere But Here, that is. Today. Available everywhere! We could not be more excited to share the new music with you all! We'll keep this one brief and just say that you should all go out and get a copy. See you out on the road!
-Mayday Parade

You can get Anywhere But Here at the following places:

Our webstore - various bundles available

MerchNow - various bundles available

Best Buy - for $9.99 (through October 10th)

Target - for $9.99

Shockhound - for $6.99 today only

Smartpunk - PLEASE NOTE: Packages from the Smartpunk pre-order will be arriving late. Sorry for the inconvenience. Smartpunk will be reaching out.

iTunes - regular or deluxe bundle
Oct 01, 10:07 AM

Listen to Anywhere But Here RIGHT NOW!

Hello, hello! Over the last year, we have been working extremely hard on our album, Anywhere But Here, and today, you all finally get to hear it. The whole album. Right on our MySpace page. We are so psyched to share our new music with you and can’t wait to hear what you think. Please head over to our website and let us know your thoughts by commenting on our post. Also, if you haven’t pre-ordered the album yet, you should head to our webstore and get it now.

In other news, the AP Fall Ball tour is going really well. We’ve been uploading pics, videos and posting some updates over at MaydayParade.com. Speaking of MaydayParade.com, if you haven’t played around with our new site yet, please head over there and check it out. We’re pumped and want you guys to be a big part of the site.

Thanks as always. You all rock and we can’t wait to see you out on the road.

-Mayday Parade
Sep 29, 04:57 PM

The Silence Video Premiere

Mayday Parade's video for The Silence is premiering now on MTV.com, MTV2 and MTVu. Go watch the video now!
Sep 15, 01:05 PM

Anywhere But Here Video Premiere!

Hello out there! How are you all doing? The first video from our new album is premiering on MySpace RIGHT NOW! Check out our brand new video for Anywhere But Here from our forthcoming album Anywhere But Here. The video was directed by Jack “The Camera Guy” Edinger and was filmed while we were out on tour this summer. We’ve got another new video for The Silence coming real soon so stay tuned...

Speaking of Anywhere But Here, if you haven’t done so already, you can pre-order it right now.

You can choose from a bunch of cool bundles at our webstore at MaydayParade.com.

Or you can choose a different cool bundle at Glamour Kills.

Or you can head over to iTunes.

You’ve got a bunch of choices so please go check them out and pick what you like best.

Thanks for the support!!
-Mayday Parade
Sep 08, 04:44 PM

Anywhere But Here Pre Order NOW Available!

Hello. Hello! We are so psyched to give you today’s news. We’ve been telling you all about our new album, Anywhere But Here, for some time now. You’ve listened to The Silence and album’s title track on our MySpace page. And now, we are excited to announce that you can pre-order Anywhere But Here on MaydayParade.com.

We’ve set up a bunch of cool bundle options for you all so take a look and pick what you think fits you best and PRE-ORDER ANYWHERE BUT HERE NOW @ MAYDAYPARADE.COM!!!!!

Here are your options:

1) DIGITAL Digital album Instant MP3 download of "The Silence" and "Kids In Love"

2) DIGITAL+ Digital album download ONE WEEK early Instant MP3 download of "The Silence" and "Kids In Love" Bonus videos from the band

3) PHYSICAL Anywhere But Here CD

4) PREMIUM Anywhere But Here CD Instant MP3 download of "The Silence" and "Kids In Love" Mayday T-shirt

5) DELUXE Premium offer Limited edition poster (signed and numbered) Mayday Hoodie Early entry into show at AP Tour (limited to 25 per tour date!) Digital album download ONE WEEK early

Rock!

-Mayday

P.S. You can also pre-order the album with some other bundles from Glamour Kills or iTunes.

P.P.S. We almost forgot... The first video from our new album for Anywhere But Here premieres on MySpace on September 15 so make sure to check it out then.

P.P.P.S. Stay tuned for some big news on a brand new MaydayParade.com coming soon...
Sep 08, 10:58 AM

Re-Tweet To Hear A New Song

Want to hear a brand new song from our upcoming album, Anywhere But Here? Go to your Twitter account and re-tweet the message below, and after the 5000th re-tweet, we’ll put up a new song called "Kids In Love" on our MySpace page. Even better, we'll also offer the song as a free instant download when you pre-order the album!

Pre-Order Anywhere But Here Starting September 8th!

RT @Mayday_Parade RT to unlock a new song from Anywhere But Here - myspace.com/maydayparade- Pre-order live 9/8!
Sep 01, 03:54 PM

Anywhere But Here Artwork!!!

In anticipation of the pre-order for our album, Anywhere But Here going up on MaydayParade.com one week from today (Tuesday, September 8th), we’d like to show you all the album cover. Check it out:

Stay tuned for details on the Anywhere But Here Pre-Order!

Also, don't forget we will be co-headlining the Alternative Press Fall Ball '09 with The Academy Is... and support from Set Your Goals, The Secret Handshake and You Me At Six. Make sure to pick-up your tickets here before it’s too late!

09/25/09 Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargos
09/26/09 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
09/27/09 Grand Rapids, MI @ Intersection
09/28/09 Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues
09/29/09 St. Louis, MO @ Pops
09/30/09 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
10/02/09 Minneapolis, MN @ Station 4
10/03/09 Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium
10/04/09 Denver, CO @Gothic
10/06/09 Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
10/07/09 Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
10/08/09 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
10/09/09 Portland, OR @ Wonder
10/10/09 Chico, CA @ Senator Theatre
10/11/09 San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
10/13/09 Bakersfield, CA @ The Dome
10/14/09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Avalon
10/15/09 Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
10/16/09 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
10/17/09 Tucson, AZ @ Rialto
10/18/09 Phoenix, AZ @ The Marquee
10/20/09 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
10/21/09 Dallas, TX @ The Door
10/22/09 Houston, TX @ Warehouse
10/24/09 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
10/25/09 Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird
10/27/09 Orlando, FL @ House Of Blues
10/28/09 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
10/29/09 Nashville, TN @ Rocketown
10/30/09 Charlotte, NC @ Amos
10/31/09 Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
11/01/09 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
11/03/09 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts
11/04/09 Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
11/05/09 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
11/06/09 New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place
11/07/09 Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
11/08/09 Long Island, NY @ Crazy Donkey
11/10/09 Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
11/11/09 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
11/12/19 Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
11/13/09 Toronto, ON @ Guvernment
11/14/09 Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues
11/15/09 Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar

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Mayday Parade

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Latest bulletin 10.27.09

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Link to this artist page

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