Music_Essay

All Time Low is a pop punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The band consists of members: Alex Gaskarth – Vocals, rhythm guitar Jack Barakat – lead guitar Zachary Merrick – bass guitar, backing vocals Rian Dawson – drums They were formed in 2003, while they were still in high school. Since first signing with a label, they have released three studio albums, two EPs (extended play), and eight singles, with a fourth album rumored for release sometime in 2010. They started touring very early, trying to build up a strong fan base early on. This obviously was quite successful. Genesis Guitarist Jack Barakat invited Alex Gaskarth to form a band playing Blink-182 songs in eighth grade, along with their original drummer. Barakat told Alternative Press that they were not friends at the time, since Gaskarth had just transferred from a private school and that Gaskarth had hated Blink-182 because he was the "Bob Marley and Incubus kind of kid." Eventually Barakat persuaded Gaskarth to leave his old band and join with him after getting him to listen to some Blink 182 songs. So they began with covering Green Day and Blink 182. After a year’s worth of begging by Jack, drummer Rian Dawson was convinced to play with a band. They were trying to find a replacement for their original drummer, as they were trying to play “Roller Coaster” –Blink 182, but their original drummer couldn’t play it. By the end of ninth grade, Rian had joined the band replacing the old drummer. After a little while they asked around, needing a bassist and Zack Merrick showed up to audition. Jack later said that after they heard him play, the reaction was like; "Fuck yeah, he plays with his fingers. He's in." They defiantly got their influence from Blink-182 and Green Day early on, and then later also New Found Glory. The band even got their name from lyrics from ‘Head On Collision’ by New Found Glory. The band signed their first record deal with company Emerald Moon Records in 2004, whilst still in high school. They released their debut EP Three Words to Remember in Dealing With the End also in 2004. Alex Gaskarth is admittedly the only known band member with a copy of the EP, or at least this appears to be the case, after an interview. All Time Low released their debut album in 2005 titled The Party Scene. It included 12 tracks, plus a bonus track. Just before graduation, on the Valentines Day 2006, All Time Low signed to major label Hopeless Records. Other bands on this record include The Weakerthans, and Amber Pacific. Hopeless put them on a busy touring schedule, with their first live debut in the UK in late 2007 supporting Plain White T's. Also in 2007 they released another EP, Put Up or Shut Up. The EP getting its name from their song ‘Break Out! Break Out!’ After extensive touring and promotion for the EP, they started working on their next studio album. Their next full length studio album was released on the 25th of September 2007, titled ‘So Wrong, It’s Right’. "Six Feet under the Stars" was the first single from the album, and "Dear Maria, Count Me In" was the second, and most successful. "Poppin' Champagne", was the third single, being released on August 8, 2008. It had to be renamed when released as a single, as the band members were underage at the time of its release. Remembering Sunday features the vocals of Juliet Simms of Automatic Loveletter fame. In June 2008, they were announced Alternative Press magazines Band of the year, and were featured on the cover. Nothing personal was the next album the band released, which was written in between tours. The album got its name from lyrics in the song ‘Break Your Little Heart’ from the album. So far it has been the highest charting album the group has released, selling 63,000 copies in its debut week, and entered the Billboard 200 at number 4. Alex told Alternative Press, "Our music explains all the troubles we've been through .it has many things. This time, we tried to explore something a little bit deeper. We're exploring some new moods, which is pretty cool. After drummer Rian Dawson got a Blink 182 tattoo and posted the pictures online, Blink 182 member Mark Hoppus agreed to collaborated on a song for the album, but in the end, it didn’t make it onto the record, as it didn’t ‘fit the vibe of the album’. But All Time Low has promised to release as a single in the meantime, or possibly as a track on an upcoming album. That was one of those experiences that we were all taken aback by. We took a chance and threw an e-mail to his management, and sure enough, it came back, and he was like, 'Yeah, I'm down to work with them.' And it was one of those weird things. I think he'd heard the name, randomly, once. Because one of the dudes in our band, Ryan, had randomly gotten a Blink tattoo, a couple months prior, and Mark had stumbled upon that picture. ... It was insane, dude. The first day we were in the room, there were a lot of awkward silences, because I was so nervous." Alex Gaskarth on collaborating with Mark Hoppus. The first single off the album was ‘Weightless’, then ‘Damned If I do Ya, (Damned If I Don’t)’. It has been confirmed that the third single will be ‘Lost in Stereo’, set to be released in March this year. It is confirmed that there will be a fourth studio album, to follow up Nothing Personal due to be released in late 2011. it will be released through Interscope Records. All Time Low also recently wrote a song called ‘Painting Flowers’ for the CD Almost Alice, which is the soundtrack to the new Alice in Wonderland movie. All Time Low often tour around America, with tours including headlining the very first The Glamour Kills tour, and co-headlining the Bamboozle Road show this year. They returned to Australia with Soundwave festival in 2010, after first touring here with Soundwave in 2008. All Time Low certainly have a very bright future, and with such a large fan base, will go far.