Taking Back Sunday
From LoveToKnow Music
Taking Back Sunday
Post-hardcore/emo band Taking Back Sunday formed in Amityville, New York in 2001, going through multiple shifts in membership until settling on the lineup of Adam Lazarra (vocals), Fred Mascherino (guitars, vocals), Mark O’Connell (drums), Matt Rubano (bassist) and founding member Eddie Reyes (guitars). By 2004, they were one of the most popular bands in the United States, often seen as being representative of emo’s mainstream success and launching a glut of copycat bands that aped their dual vocals, two-guitar attack.
Rise to Fame
Starting with 2001’s self-titled EP, Taking Back Sunday began their career in anonymity, with their debut fading into obscurity while original vocalist Antonio Longo and bassist Jesse Lacey departing for Adam Lazarra and Shaun Cooper respectively. Just a year later, the new lineup found unexpected success with Tell All Your Friends, their full-length debut and an album that went gold on the strength of breakout single “Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut from the Team).” Tours with likeminded bands such as Brand New and The Used followed, and the band joined the Vans Warped Tour for a brief period of time, allowing the band to capitalize on their nascent success. Even so, guitarist John Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper left the band in spite of their success, going on to form Straylight Run while leaving the remaining members to ponder their future as a band. Guitarist/vocalist Fred Mascherino and bassist Matt Rubano would join soon after.
New lineup in tow, Taking Back Sunday opened for Blink 182 and returned to the Warped Tour as a headliner in 2004, and their second full-length release, Where You Want to Be, hit #3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Hit single “A Decade Under the Influence,” as well as a high-profile song on the Spiderman 2 soundtrack, further cemented the band’s breakthrough status. The rest of 2005 was spent touring and preparing for the release of their next album, 2006’s Louder Now.
Making the jump to Warner Brothers from indie label Victory, the band’s new release #2, yet drew some criticism for being too similar in style and message to their previous release. Appearances on The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and Jimmy Kimmel Live continued the band’s momentum, and their song “Spin” was chosen for the popular Madden 07 video game. At an April performance at England’s “Give It a Name” festival, Lazzara accidentally knocked unconscious Rubano while wildly swinging his microphone, eventually sending him to the hospital for six stiches. Rubano would return to play bass bloodied and bandaged, furthering the band’s reputation for being a high-energy live act.
External Links
Official Taking Back Sunday homepage
Official MySpace page for Taking Back Sunday
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