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What do you get when you blend infectious melodies and pop-infused technical guitar riffs with high-energy and solid musicianship?
…You get Sparks The Rescue, a five-piece pop rock band from
Portland, Maine that will win you over with their originality, passion, and dedication to constantly make “rockin’ songs.”
The group is comprised of Alex Roy (vocals), Patrick O’Connell (guitar), Toby McAllister (guitar), Ben Briggs (bass), and Nathan Spencer (drums). They have been playing music for nearly a decade now, starting in high school where they spawned from three local bands Pozer, Two Girls Later, and Short of April in the New England music scene. They shared stages frequently at local shows and events until they decided in 2005 to become one single entity, Sparks The Rescue (deriving their name from Nicolas Sparks’ novel The Rescue).
In 2007, STR released a six-song digital EP, The Secrets We Can't Keep on Double Blind Music. It didn’t take long for their music to catch the ear of WCYY’s Mark Kurdo, and soon the EP was getting heavy rotation on “Spin Out,” a weekly program that features local artists. Requests started pouring in for their tracks to get regular airplay on the station, and STR went on to sell over 10,000 units of their EP on iTunes as their fan base grew exponentially. Their success has stemmed from their popularity at WCYY, and they haven’t forgotten that. Alex says, “it was surreal to hear our songs on the radio…I’d blast the volume!” They’ve played over 200 shows to date and have shared stages with great bands including All Time Low, Hawthorne Heights, As Tall As Lions, Mayday Parade, Chiodos, Forever the Sickest Kids, and A Static Lullaby.
After blowing up on the local scene, STR took their music across the country, attracting thousands of fans nationwide including substantial names in the music business like manger John Germinario (Aiden, Madina Lake), Huntington Beach, California-based independent label Fearless Records and top booking agents at The William Morris Agency.
“I always knew it would happen,” said Alex. Things fell into place, and our hard work is paying off!”
STR will officially release their debut full-length album Eyes To The Sun on May 5, 2009 on Fearless Records. The album was produced by Jonathan Wyman of Halo Studios and will feature the single “Autumn,” a track which has particularly received heavy rotation at WCYY. In the meantime, they are anxiously awaiting a Spring tour with Racing Kites, The Dangerous Summer, and This Time Next Year, making stops to play at Bamboozle and the PureVolume showcase at SXSW.
Sparks The Rescue has a musical maturity that goes well beyond their years both instrumentally and lyrically. They tell a sonic story of a young band's hopes and dreams, love lost and found, and the desire to break out of their small town and make their mark on the world. Just as love saved the characters in The Rescue, the band similarly find strength in their love of making great music. With a forceful drive to rock listeners’ socks off and a dedicated, loyal fan-base, the future looks bright for these breakout artists.
“We want to make a career out of this band,” says Ben. We love playing and creating music, and don't have any intention of stopping.”
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