Interview with Mayday Parade: Just Normal Dudes

Mayday ParadeWhile most cookie-cutter pretty boy power-pop bands are struggling to differentiate their fivesomes from the copious amounts of imitators out there, the successful few are leading the pack with a refreshing, creative, musical edginess and kids-next- door mass appeal. The guys of Mayday Parade have mastered this formula.

Hailing from the Sunshine State, Mayday Parade got their start after following Warped Tour a few years back and accosting kids attending the outdoor festival and persuading them to listen and buy their EP. The band’s aggressive and determined tactics worked; by the end of the summer they had sold 10,000 copies of their EP. Their avant-garde feat garnered the attention of the A&R representatives over at the prominent independently run Fearless Records and soon enough the label signed the band onto their roster.

After the release of the band’s debut album, A Lesson In Romantics, Mayday Parade have traveled around the nation promoting the release and making a name for themselves. Most recently, they joined their good friends from Warped Tour, All Time Low, on the Manwhores and Open Sores Tour, which sold out nearly every venue along the way.

After a few technical miscommunications, I finally got a chance to hear back from Jake Bundrick in an e-mail interview during the beginning of their tour with Emery. Coming out from behind the scenes, drummer Jake Bundrick kindly answered some of my questions while on the road cramped in the van with the rest of his coiffed bandmates.

What are your names and what instrument do you play in the band?

I’m Jake and I play drums/vocals. Derek does vocals, Brooks plays guitar, Alex plays guitar, and Jeremy plays bass/vocals.

You are currently on tour with All Time Low, correct? How is that going?

Actually, we’re on tour with Emery now. The All Time Low tour was a great success which led us to the Emery tour. It’s been going great and we’re having a lot of fun playing to newer faces.

I saw All Time Low a few weeks ago and they were rocking out to your music backstage. Are you guys all friends?

Yeah..definitely. We all got along great which made that tour soooo fun. They are legit dudes that are super funny and care about the music they make. I look up to those guys for being so young and being so successful.

So have there been any good tour stories or pranks to talk about on this tour yet?

Well, on the All Time Low tour, cake was smothered all over their van and trailer along with shaving cream and other things. Of course, I swear to this day that we had nothing to do with it.

I read that the tour is called The Manwhores and Open Sores Tour. So… are either of those two characteristics representative of any of the members of Mayday Parade?

Actually, I’m both. Manwhore is my first name and Open Sore is my middle and last name. Ha ha.

Last time I spoke with you guys, I spoke to Derek during your stint on Warped Tour this past summer and he was complaining about the hot weather. How does that compare with snowstorms and the frigid cold now?

Honestly…I would much rather tour in the heat, but more honestly, any tour you do…you’ll complain about the weather. Regardless, if it’s hot or cold, raining or snowing, you’re going to complain, because no one likes sweating and no one likes freezing.

Since the release of A Lesson In Romantics, the band has really taken off, it seems. How are things different now that more people are familiar with the band?

It makes playing shows more fun. You can have more crowd singalong parts, you can interact much more than before, and you can see the growth by the amount of kids that are coming out. We couldn’t ask for anything more.

Are you still becoming used to having a larger fan base at shows where more kids will come up to you?

Yeah…I guess. We’re slowly getting used to it. It still doesn’t make any sense to me because, honestly, who wants to hear songs about dudes that whine about relationships? But it’s gotten insane. I love it.

What’s the craziest fan story you can think of?

Well I don’t know how much detail I can give you on some stories, but I know one thing I can say is that someone in Jersey made a blanket for us that has the sun from our album and our name on it. It’s pretty rad.

How do you think Mayday Parade are setting themselves apart in the oversaturated pop-rock scene today?

We’re just trying to be real people, not some famous band that kids think we are. Because honestly, we’re just normal dudes that happen to play in a band you like. We’ll talk to anyone.

Now for a few random questions: If you could cover any song ,what would it be?

‘Hero’ by Foo Fighters.

What is the best perk of being in a band?

Traveling the country and seeing new continents.

Who has the better hair—Derek or Brooks?

Brooks…Derek’s hair takes too much time to take care of…Brooks’ is more…get up and go!

Rock band or guitar hero?

Guitar hero…our band is much better at guitar hero.

What is the foulest item in your van currently?

A bobble head coyote that is on our dash.

What’s next for the band, any future plans solidified yet?

Warped Tour and more touring…we don’t plan on stopping.

Any final words to conclude the interview with?

Thanks again for doing this with us. It means a lot. Thanks to Fearless for being so great, and to the fans for being one of a kind. We love you!

Check out Mayday Parade at the Blender Theatre @ Gramercy on March 3 in New York, NY. For more visit maydayparaderocks.com