It’s a feat for any band to stay together a decade and MayDay Parade has done so with all the original members still in tact (minus Jason Lancaster, who left early on). We catch up with guitarist Alex Garcia to find out the secret to their longevity, talk about their new album, “Black Lines,” and why it’s cool to be emotional. Related: R. Kelly’s all-you-can-hear musical ‘Buffet’ Changing things up “There are still a lot of old Mayday Parade elements in there, but we used a lot more guitar effects than on the previous albums and experimented with different noises and song structures too,” he tells us. For the band, it was a welcome step outside their comfort zone, and one they think fans will appreciate. Vocalist Derek Sanders’ voice is pushed to the limit on “Black Lines,” utilizing a bigger range than in the past. “Our singe ‘Keep In Mind, Transmogrification Is A New Technology’ exemplifies that,” Garcia says. “It starts off kind of quiet and eventually builds into a huge outro where he’s at the top of his dynamic range and really pushing his voice to give it all that emotion.” Related: How X Ambassadors took over the alt-rock scene More breakup songs Not stopping anytime soon If you go:
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Mayday Parade has kept a consistent level of success with their emo-pop rock songs, but Garcia says their new album, “Black Lines” is a departure from their last four, though not a “transitional album,” as it is sometimes being called in the press.
Emotion is something Mayday Parade has utilized from the start, particularly with their lyrics. Though the music may evolve, Garcia says their heartfelt lyrics is something they will never change about their music. “If we had lyrics that were very sterilized or silly and not coming from the heart, our fans wouldn’t be as connected to the music,” he says. “For this genre more than some other genres, having lyrics people can relate to it important.”
Since the band lives spread out across the U.S., getting together to record and tour is a reunion they all look forward to. “No one actually thought at the time that we would get this far when we started the band,” Garcia says. “The band is a total democracy where everyone’s opinion matters. There isn’t one person trying to be more important than the others, which could cause resentment. … We’re all in it for the long haul.”
October 14, 6:30 p.m.
House of Blues Boston
15 Lansdowne St., 888-693-2583
www.houseofblues.com/boston
October 15, 7 p.m.
Electric Factory
421 N 7th St., 215-627-1332
www.electricfactory.info
October 20, 6:30 p.m.
PlayStation Theater
1515 Broadway, 212-930-1950
www.playstationtheater.com
Mayday Parade: Emo forever
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