Band you should be listening to: Mayday Parade

With a mix of sappy lyrics to melt even the coldest of hearts and the musical talent of show stoppers like Ben Folds and Dave Matthews, comes the little known band: Mayday Parade.

The indie/rock/emo band consists of five guys from Tallahassee, Florida. Derek Sanders, lead vocals and keyboard, Jeremy Lenzo, bass guitar and vocals, Alex Garcia, guitar, Brooks Bett, guitar, Jake Bundrick, drums, percussion, backing vocals; together, make up the rising band, that basically sounds like Plain White T’s…only better.

By Chelsea Oliver

Sports Editor

With a mix of sappy lyrics to melt even the coldest of hearts and the musical talent of show stoppers like Ben Folds and Dave Matthews, comes the little known band.

The indie/rock/emo band consists of five guys from Tallahassee, Florida. Derek Sanders, lead vocals and keyboard, Jeremy Lenzo, bass guitar and vocals, Alex Garcia, guitar, Brooks Bett, guitar, Jake Bundrick, drums, percussion, backing vocals; together, make up the rising band, that basically sounds like Plain White T’s…only better.

With their talent and raw lyrics, these guys should be on the rise to stardom. Their EP “Tales Told by Dead Friends,” released in 2005 with hits such as “Your Song” and “The Last Something that Meant Anything” sold over 20,000 copies without the support of a record company. Their debut album, released July of 2007, “A Lesson in Romantics,” was their first work released by Fearless Records (their current label).

You might have heard of Mayday Parade if you bought into the “Punk Goes Acoustic” CD series; where they are featured with their single from the “Tales Told by Dead Friends” EP, “Three Cheers for the Last Five Years,” on the “Punk Goes Acoustic 2” CD. Or you might have had the chance to see them live if you attended any part of the Vans Warped Tour this past summer.

But with their appearance in Warped Tour came some hope for fame. They were scheduled to perform on MTV’s TRL in August of 2008, and were in the poll to win a nomination for the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) for the “Best Rock Video.” Though they did perform on TRL with their new single, “Jamie All Over,” they did not receive the VMA nomination and are still a little low on the fan base, regardless of their immense amount of talent.

If you would like to learn more about this band that you should be listening to, check out their website www.mydayparaderocks.com. Or, if you’re really ambitious, you can take the drive to Pittsburgh on October 10, 2008 to see them live at Gravity, as they kick off their own tour.