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January 25 - February 1, 2012 Vol. 2-644
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feature
A DAY TO REMEMBER
U N I O N & S E PA R A T I O N
by Amanda Ferrante Batista
A Day To Remember could potentially
change its band name. In 2011, the
band officially blurred the lines between
indie and mainstream music, touring
incessantly and garnering rigorous
radio play. But 2012 is a surefire fit to
go down as the year to remember.
The Ocala, Florida-based band—
comprised of singer Jeremy McKinnon,
bassist Joshua Woodard, drummer
Alex Shelnutt and guitarists/backing
vocalists Kevin Skaff and Neil Westfall—
will kick off a nearly 40-date arena tour
across the U.S, Asia and Australia.
The band is riding the high waves of
its November 2010 release, What
Separates Me FromYou, which debuted
at number 11 on the Billboard 200,
selling 58,000 copies, according to
Nielsen SoundScan.
Produced by New Found Glory
guitarist Chad Gilbert, What Separates
Me From You is a compilation of songs
that hone in on heavy metal hatred,
broken-hearted ballads and the rush
of punk rock mosh. Drawing from a
variety of genres for inspiration, ADTR
bridges the gap between the pop-punk
and metal crowds—the perfect formula
for a Warped Tour headliner. While the
band crowned the bill on one of the
summer’s most popular festivals last
year, ADTR is starting off 2012 as the
“too cool for school” kids that might just
take your chart placement.
The boys from ADTR really are the
cool kids on the rock block. If only
evidenced by the video for the single
“All I Want,” the band has secured
serious star stature, backed by a
precocious posse. The video features
“WE WERE SUPPORTING THE DEVIL WEARS
PRADA WHEN I FIRST JOINED. AND NOW
WE’VE JUST BEEN HEADLINING EVER
SINCE AND SHOWS KEEPS GETTING BIGGER
AND BIGGER. NOW WE’RE GOING ON AN
ARENA TOUR WITH FRIGGIN’ RISE AGAINST.
IT’S JUST WILD. I NEVER THOUGHT IT
WOULD EVER HAPPEN LIKE THAT.”
quick cameos by Pete Wentz, Andrew
W.K. and countless pals from bands
including August Burns Red, Trivium,
The Devil Wears Prada and As I Lay
Dying (just to name a few—literally).
But the fast track to success doesn’t
stop there. The band has garnered
immense attention from particularly
unexpected forums, including MTV.
ADTR won the channel’s fan award for
Breakthrough Band of 2011. The song
“All Signs Point To Ft. Lauderdale” also
was chosen as one of AOL Radio’s
best rock songs of 2011. Real radio
play, a headlining spot at Warped Tour
and its debut television performance
on Jimmy Kimmel Live! has helped
propel ADTR into superstardom.
It’s a particularly crazy trip for guitarist
Kevin Skaff (formerly of Four Letter
Lie), who joined the band in 2009 after
the departure of founding guitarist Tom
Denney.
“You grow up going to these festivals
and watching these shows,” he says.
“Everybody always says ‘one day that’s
going to be me,’ but you never really
expect it to happen—especially a band
like us. Our music styling is not refined
like what’s on radio and TV, so it’s really
crazy that there are so many people
that like our band that a national network
now has taken notice to it. It’s not us.
It’s the fans. We owe everything to
them.”
This fast fame is a shift from the
band’s humble beginnings. ADTR
formed in 2003 and played more than
200 shows before signing to its first
label, Indianola Records, and recording
debut full-length And Their Name Was
Treason, released in May 2005. While
the debut record sold nearly 9,000
copies, the band sought to take its
initiatives to the next level, signing to
Victory Records in 2006. The band’s
second release, For Those Who Have
Heart , peaked at number 17 on
Billboard ’s Top Heatseekers chart.
Showcasing its creative, and even
humorous twist, the band also paid
homage to American Idol season one
winner Kelly Clarkson, with its version
of her hit single, “Since U Been Gone.”
It’s that out-of-the-box, creative sound
that gives ADTR a leg up in the rock
competition. The band isn’t afraid to
take a stab at something different. Quite
frankly, the band’s balls-to-the-wall
attitude was its meal ticket to tour. A
Day To Remember was billed alongside
bands including Silverstein, The Devil
Wears Prada, Protest The Hero and A
Static Lullaby before earning headliner
status. The band also played the
Bamboozle and Download Festivals,
as well as the U.S. dates of the
Easycore Tour with New Found Glory,
Four Year Strong, Crime in Stereo and
International Superheroes Of Hardcore,
in 2008.
The band then started picking up
serious steam, touring across Australia
to sold-out success. In the midst of the
madness, the band also finished
recording its third studio album,
Homesick, released February 2009 to
number 21 on Billboard’s Top 200.
Prior to the 2009 tour, guitarist Tom
Denney broke his wrist, and Kevin Skaff
filled in for him—ultimately solidifying
his position in the band amid Denney’s
departure.
“It was a weird transition,” Skaff says.
“I went on the tour just to fill in for the
U.K. leg. Homesick wasn’t out yet.Then
I came home and I was just going to
go to college.Ten days later, the band
called me back for a U.S. tour. Halfway
through that tour I heard Tom was
leaving. Then, at the end of the tour,
they asked me to be in the band. My
life was all up in the air and I didn’t know
what I was going to do. While I was
on that tour I was looking up colleges
and student loan information.”
Although Skaff traded college
textbooks for guitar picks, it’s clear that
the reward is all in the risk.
“It’s been fun watching the crowds
grow,” Skaff says.“Just before Homesick
came out tours were half the size. We
were supporting The Devil Wears Prada
when I first joined. And now we’ve just
been headlining ever since and shows
A DAY TO R E ME M B E R W IL L P LAY M ID H UDS ON CIV IC CE NT ER IN P OU GHK E E PS IE , N Y, ON JA N . 3 0, N AS S AU M EM OR IA L CO LIS E UM IN UNI ONDAL E , NY, ON FE B. 3 ,
A ND SU S QU E HA NN A B A NK C EN TE R IN CA M DE N, N J, ON F EB . 4 . FOR MOR E I NFOR M ATION , GO TO A DTR .COM .
10 ARTS WEEKLY JANUARY 25, 2012 www.theaquarian.com
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“YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE
THIS NUTS, OFF-THEWALL L.A. DRUG ADDICT
TO BE SOMEBODY. YOU
CAN BE NORMAL AND
STILL MAKE IT.”
keeps getting bigger and bigger. Now we’re going
on an arena tour with friggin’ Rise Against. It’s just
wild. I never thought it would ever happen like that.”
But Skaff, in his humble state, fails to factor in
the band’s hard work and dedication—what
withstanding bands are made of. ADTR is well on
its way to meet and perhaps exceed the impact of
its key influences, including Blink-182, Finch,
Poison The Well and Hatebreed.
And while ADTR is knee-deep in the fame pool,
the reality still hasn’t set in for the band.
“I still don’t get it,” Skaff laughs humbly. “I don’t
know how it happened. [Playing on Jimmy Kimmel
Live!] was the first time I was nervous in a long
time. I had just gotten over it, we were onstage and
then Jimmy comes up to Jeremy and says, ‘Don’t
fuck this up—you’re on national television.’ That
just made me nervous all over again… You have
to live up to expectations.”
It’s that subtle combination of humility and hunger
that keeps ADTR on its toes. Regardless of where
the band gets categorized—rock, metal, pop or
punk—the story of ADTR is one that resonates
across fans and fellow peers alike.
“We’re just five normal guys,” Skaff insists. “The
only thing that’s crazy about us is our tattoos.We’re
all from really small towns—so [it just goes to
show] you can do anything.You don’t have to be
this nuts, off-the-wall L.A. drug addict to be
somebody. You can be normal and still make it.
I’m just a regular dude, and I don’t look like a rock
star.”
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