Sparks The Rescue
Encyclopedia
Sparks the Rescue is a five-member American
rock band from Maine
. They formed when members of three high school bands Pozer, Short of April and Two Girls Later converged. Their debut EP Stumbling Skyward was released independently in 2005 with McAllister and O'Connell sharing main vocal duties. The band released the Hey, Mr. Allure EP in 2006, which saw the addition of lead vocalist Alex Roy. On February 6, 2007, Sparks the Rescue released their junior EP The Secrets We Can't Keep after signing to Double Blind Music. This release saw the departure of their keyboardist. STR officially released their debut full-length album Eyes to the Sun
on May 5, 2009 on Fearless Records
(the album was previously released October 7, 2008 on Double Blind Music). The album was produced by Jonathan Wyman of Halo Studios in Westbrook, ME.
competitions the band decided to add Patrick O'Connell on guitar
and vocals and Marty Mcmorrow on synthesizer
and vocals. The band changed their name to Sparks the Rescue and started shedding its skate punk
aesthetic—gaining popularity and playing shows throughout New England
. Alex Roy was added as main vocalist in 2006, and the group heavily toured the East Coast in preparation for and support of their new Hey, Mr. Allure EP.
, on Double Blind Music
in 2008. This album got the group signed to Fearless Records
, and shows the band’s evolution from scream-fueled hardcore music to their current hook-filled pop punk
sound.
featuring new songs and a different track listing. Billboard charts for the 5-15-09 issue reported Eyes to the Sun coming in at 3rd in the Top Heatseekers Chart for the Northeast, and tracks from the album received play on MTV’s The Hills
and The Real World: Cancun
.
In late 2009, MTV announced Sparks the Rescue as the official winner of the 2009 "I Want My Music On MTV! Competition!", stating that the band will "rub elbows with A-List artists at the 2009 Woodie Awards".
, Sum 41
, Haste the Day
, and Attack Attack!
. Right before touring with Mayday Parade
, Patrick O’Connell decided to part ways with the band. “He just didn’t want to be on tour anymore. He was into going home, getting a job and an apartment like a normal person,” McAllister said of the split. Soon after O'Connell's departure, the band added guitarist Mike Naran.
In March, 2011 the band revealed the album art and track listing for their second full-length album Worst Thing I’ve Been Cursed With, set for release on May 10, 2011 in North America. The band also announced a tour with The Dangerous Summer
in support of the new release.
On August 11, 2011 Back Road Eyes Media announced on Tumblr
that bassist Ben Briggs has been replaced by David Pait
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock band from Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. They formed when members of three high school bands Pozer, Short of April and Two Girls Later converged. Their debut EP Stumbling Skyward was released independently in 2005 with McAllister and O'Connell sharing main vocal duties. The band released the Hey, Mr. Allure EP in 2006, which saw the addition of lead vocalist Alex Roy. On February 6, 2007, Sparks the Rescue released their junior EP The Secrets We Can't Keep after signing to Double Blind Music. This release saw the departure of their keyboardist. STR officially released their debut full-length album Eyes to the Sun
Eyes to the Sun
Eyes to the Sun is the first studio album by alternative rock band Sparks the Rescue. It was originally released on October 7, 2008 under the Double Blind Music record label...
on May 5, 2009 on Fearless Records
Fearless Records
Fearless Records is an alternative rock-oriented record label that has been signing artists since 1994. Fearless is based in Westminster, California and are best known for their early pop-punk moments captured in the Fearless Flush Sampler and Punk Bites releases, as well as additional releases by...
(the album was previously released October 7, 2008 on Double Blind Music). The album was produced by Jonathan Wyman of Halo Studios in Westbrook, ME.
Early years (1999–2006)
Toby McAllister, Ben Briggs, and Nate Spencer formed the group Pozer in 1999, while still in junior high school. After years of local shows and failed Battle of bandsBattle of Bands
Battle of Bauds was a battle fought in 962 in an area known as the Bauds, south of Findochty and West of Cullen, Scotland between Scotland under king Indulf, and Danish pirates. The Danes had been raiding and burning through Scotland, and had won numerous victorious skirmishes against the Scots,...
competitions the band decided to add Patrick O'Connell on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocals and Marty Mcmorrow on synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
and vocals. The band changed their name to Sparks the Rescue and started shedding its skate punk
Skate punk
Skate punk is a sub genre of punk rock, originally a derivative of the West Coast hardcore punk scene, that is named after its popularity among skateboarders and association with skateboarding culture. Skate punk most commonly describes the sound of melodic hardcore bands from the 1990s with an...
aesthetic—gaining popularity and playing shows throughout New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. Alex Roy was added as main vocalist in 2006, and the group heavily toured the East Coast in preparation for and support of their new Hey, Mr. Allure EP.
Independent success (2006–2008)
Following McMorrow's departure as keyboardist, the band released their first full album Eyes to the SunEyes to the Sun
Eyes to the Sun is the first studio album by alternative rock band Sparks the Rescue. It was originally released on October 7, 2008 under the Double Blind Music record label...
, on Double Blind Music
System Recordings
System Recordings is a New York City based electronic music record label founded in 2000 by Eric Silver and Louis Montorio with a single artist, American drum and bass icon Dieselboy....
in 2008. This album got the group signed to Fearless Records
Fearless Records
Fearless Records is an alternative rock-oriented record label that has been signing artists since 1994. Fearless is based in Westminster, California and are best known for their early pop-punk moments captured in the Fearless Flush Sampler and Punk Bites releases, as well as additional releases by...
, and shows the band’s evolution from scream-fueled hardcore music to their current hook-filled pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
sound.
Fearless Records debut (2009)
In May, 2009 Fearless re-released Eyes To The SunEyes to the Sun
Eyes to the Sun is the first studio album by alternative rock band Sparks the Rescue. It was originally released on October 7, 2008 under the Double Blind Music record label...
featuring new songs and a different track listing. Billboard charts for the 5-15-09 issue reported Eyes to the Sun coming in at 3rd in the Top Heatseekers Chart for the Northeast, and tracks from the album received play on MTV’s The Hills
The Hills
The Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...
and The Real World: Cancun
The Real World: Cancun
The Real World: Cancun is the twenty-second season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras document their lives and interpersonal relationships. Cancun, Mexico was...
.
In late 2009, MTV announced Sparks the Rescue as the official winner of the 2009 "I Want My Music On MTV! Competition!", stating that the band will "rub elbows with A-List artists at the 2009 Woodie Awards".
Departure of O'Connell/Briggs and Worst Thing I've Been Cursed With (2010–2011)
In 2010 the band toured relentlessly with bands like The All-American RejectsThe All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects are an American rock band formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1999. The band consists of lead vocalist and bass guitarist Tyson Ritter, lead guitarist, Nick Wheeler, rhythm guitarist, Mike Kennerty, and drummer Chris Gaylor....
, Sum 41
Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. The band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of members Deryck Whibley , Tom Thacker , Jason McCaslin and Steve Jocz .In 1999, the band signed an international record deal with Island Records...
, Haste the Day
Haste the Day
Haste the Day was an American Christian metalcore band signed with Solid State Records that was formed in Carmel, Indiana 2001. Their band is named after a lyric in the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul." The band released their debut release, an extended play titled That They May Know You, in 2002,...
, and Attack Attack!
Attack Attack!
Attack Attack! is an American metalcore band from Westerville, Ohio, formed in 2005. Attack Attack!'s first release, an independent EP titled If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords?, was released in 2008, which lead to the signing of the band to Rise Records the same year...
. Right before touring with Mayday Parade
Mayday Parade
Mayday Parade is an American rock band from Tallahassee, Florida. The band formed in 2005 when members of popular local Tallahassee bands Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment converged in 2006. Their debut EP Tales Told by Dead Friends was released in 2006, and sold over 20,000 copies without any...
, Patrick O’Connell decided to part ways with the band. “He just didn’t want to be on tour anymore. He was into going home, getting a job and an apartment like a normal person,” McAllister said of the split. Soon after O'Connell's departure, the band added guitarist Mike Naran.
In March, 2011 the band revealed the album art and track listing for their second full-length album Worst Thing I’ve Been Cursed With, set for release on May 10, 2011 in North America. The band also announced a tour with The Dangerous Summer
The Dangerous Summer (band)
The Dangerous Summer is an Indie / Rock band from Ellicott City, Maryland. The band formed in the summer of 2006 to write their first EP, There Is No Such Thing as Science, which drew the attention of Hopeless Records and other labels in 2007. They signed with Hopeless Records within 8 months of...
in support of the new release.
On August 11, 2011 Back Road Eyes Media announced on Tumblr
Tumblr
Tumblr is a website and microblogging platform that allows users to post text, images, videos, links, quotes and audio to their tumblelog, a short-form blog. Users can follow other users, or choose to make their tumblelog private. The service emphasizes ease of use. The site ranks as the 10th...
that bassist Ben Briggs has been replaced by David Pait
Current members
- Alex Roy – lead vocals, keyboards, synthesizers (since 2006)
- Toby McAllister – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (since 2005)
- Mike Naran- lead guitar, backing vocals (since 2010)
- David Pait- bass (since 2011)
- Nathan Spencer – drums (since 2005)
Former members
- Patrick O'Connell – guitar, vocals (2005–2010)
- Martin "DragonWarrior" Mcmorrow – keyboards, synthesizers, vocals (2005–2008)
- Ben Briggs – bass (2005-2011)
Studio albums
- Eyes to the SunEyes to the SunEyes to the Sun is the first studio album by alternative rock band Sparks the Rescue. It was originally released on October 7, 2008 under the Double Blind Music record label...
(2008) - Worst Thing I've Been Cursed WithWorst Thing I've Been Cursed WithWorst Thing I've Been Cursed With is the second studio album and fifth album overall by alternative rock band Sparks the Rescue. The album and track listing were announced by the band on March 11, 2011...
(2011)
EPs
- Stumbling Skyward (2005)
- Hey, Mr. Allure (2006)
- The Secrets We Can't Keep (2007)
Compilation appearances
'Tis The Season To Be Fearless'Tis the Season to Be Fearless
Tis the Season to Be Fearless is the first holiday-themed compilation album series created by Fearless Records featuring eight Christmas-themed songs. It was released on November 22, 2010. It was made available for pre-order on iTunes on November 8, 2010....
- "Christmas Brings Me Down"
- Punk Goes Pop 3Punk Goes Pop 3Punk Goes Pop 3 is the tenth compilation album released from the Punk Goes... series created by Fearless Records to feature covers by various artists of pop songs, and is the tenth album in the series overall...
- "Need You Now" (Lady AntebellumLady AntebellumLady Antebellum is an American country pop music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. The trio is composed of Charles Kelley , Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott .The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol...
Cover)
- Punk Goes XPunk Goes XPunk Goes X is the eleventh compilation album released from the Punk Goes... series created by Fearless Records. It was released on January 25, 2011, and features cover songs that were featured at the 2011 Winter X Games....
- "Mountain Song" (Jane's AddictionJane's AddictionJane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
Cover)
- Take Action Volume 10
- Forever in My Songs