|
Event
Mayday Parade -CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19
Mayday Parade
Grayscale
Point North
$25 ADV | $30 DOS
The sixth studio album from Tallahassee-based rock band Mayday Parade, Sunnyland gets its title from an abandoned hospital where the band members used to sneak in to explore as teenagers. The hospital shut down sometime in the mid-80s but then it just stayed there for decades, says lead vocalist Derek Sanders. It was a super-creepy placeit was overgrown with vines, and still had some of the hospital beds and IV standsbut we have all these good memories of hanging out there when we were younger.
The follow-up to their acclaimed 2015 album Black Lines, Sunnyland finds Mayday Parade both reflecting on the past and pushing toward the future. The band recorded the album with longtime producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, and also teamed up with Grammy nominated producer John Feldmann (blink-182, Panic! At the Disco) and Howard Benson (Of Mice & Men, My Chemical Romance) for the very first time. The result is an album built on impassioned vocals, sing-along choruses, and deeply heartfelt lyrics.
From the album-opening Never Surea tortured love song driven by blistering riffs and pummeling drumbeatsMayday Parade instill all of Sunnyland with unbridled energy. Whether theyre taking on a folk-infused ballad like Always Leaving or channeling brutal punk fury into tracks like If I Were You, the band sustains an undeniable intensity. While much of the album explores personal matters like loss and love (as on the stirringly romantic, piano-laced Piece Of Your Heart), songs such as It's Hard to Be Religious When Certain People Are Never Incinerated By Bolts Of Lightning emerge as an outward-looking burst of anger. That song was written within months of Donald Trump being elected and came from feeling upset that something as horrible as that could happen, says Sanders. But even though theres a lot of negativity on the song, theres still a hopeful chorus, because I think we need to try to stay hopeful. And to close out Sunnyland, Mayday Parade deliver the albums stripped-back title track, a melancholy midtempo number that unfolds with graceful acoustic guitar work, delicate harmonies, and subtly detailed storytelling.
Since making their debut with 2007s A Lesson in Romantics, the band has sold over 1.1 million albums, steadily amassing a worldwide following. Through the years, their chemistry has only
gotten more potent, with all five members now contributing to the songwriting process (and coming up with upwards of 80 songs in the writing sessions for Sunnyland). When we started this band most of us were still teenagers, notes Sanders. Weve obviously grown up and changed a whole lot since then, but through all that weve grown closer as friends and tighter as musicians. Its amazing and incredible that were able to still do this, and we all definitely realize how lucky we are.
Having gotten their start selling their CDs in the parking lot of Vans Warped Tour, Mayday Parade have now headlined the tour five times, and will play the main stage again this summer for the tours final run. For the band, each live show offers the chance to personally connect with the dedicated following they consider more like a family than a fanbase. And with the release of Sunnyland, Mayday Parades mission is to continue strengthening that connection through their uncompromising honesty and boundless emotion. Theres a lot of sadness in these songs, but its always a good thing to get those feelings out, says Sanders of Sunnyland. So if there are people out there dealing with hard times, we hope our music can help them work through that, and come away feeling a little better about everything.
|
|
 |
LocationRock City Cake Company (View)
205 Capitol St.
Charleston, WV 25301
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 12 |
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
|
Contact
|
