Artist Spotlight: A Day to Remember

With their roots from Ocala, Florida, A Day to Remember has risen to a very successful band ever since they began in 2003. They are known by having their pop-punk style mixed with a little heavier guitar riffs and double-bass blasting drums. In other words, for those of you who don't know them, they sound like a mix of two extremes: catchy, poppy choruses with heavy guitar riffs and the occasional screaming.

Like all bands, ADTR (as I'll call them throughout this post) started out very small, playing local shows around their area to try to get their name out there. They eventually got their name out there to record labels and signed to an independent one, called Indianola Records, which they recorded their first album from, called And Their Name Was Treason. They eventually signed to Victory Records a couple years after that and released For Those Who Have Heart, my personal favorite album of theirs, in 2006. This release gave them more worldwide acclaim, giving them opportunities to go on tour throughout the world, such as in Europe and Australia.

ADTR playing live in 2009

Courtesy of Google Images

In 2009, ADTR released Homesick, which was their first album to make it on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 21 overall. This album made the worldwide acclaim that they received quadruple, having tours and shows in so many places that it was ridiculous. Every one of ADTR's albums has a slower, more acoustic-styled song on each of their albums. The one on Homesick, called "If It Means A Lot To You" was one of the songs that garnered their success from this album.

A few months ago, back in November, ADTR released their most recent album, What Separates Me From You. This peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200, and was the first to chart in other countries such as Australia and England. On January 11, they performed the first single released from the album, "All I Want", on Jimmy Kimmel Live, which was their first national TV appearance.

The Bassline

I actually heard "All I Want" on the radio a few months ago. As I sighed and said "Oh God, there goes another band that I love going mainstream," I forgot about the impact that they have served in the music scene in their many years in it. This is probably the only mainstream band that hasn't sold themselves out. They have stuck to their original sound for the most part throughout many years of experience. These guys are staying true to themselves and their fans by doing so.