All Time Low
is an American pop punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 2003. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Alex Gaskarth, guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson. The name All Time Low is taken from lyrics in the song "Head on Collision" by New Found Glory. [1] [2]
Forming whilst in high school, All Time Low started out covering pop punk bands such as Green Day and Blink-182. They signed their first record deal with Emerald Moon Records in 2004 and released their first EP, titled The Three Words to Remember in Dealing with the End
. Their first studio album was released in 2005, titled The Party Scene
. Before graduating high school in 2006, All Time Low signed a record deal with Hopeless Records. They then re-recorded songs from their debut album and included two new songs for their EP Put Up or Shut Up
. The EP entered both the Top Independent Albums and Top Heatseekers charts, illustrating their growing popularity.
In 2007, All Time Low released So Wrong, It's Right
, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 62. The album's second single, "Dear Maria, Count Me In", became their first song to enter a major chart, peaking at number 86 on the Pop 100. They found exposure from featuring on the likes of MTV and TRL and the band was eventually selected as Alternative Press
magazine's Band of the Year 2008. While writing for a third album, they worked on a collaboration with Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus and selected an array of producers including Matt Squire, Butch Walker, David Bendeth and the team of S*A*M & Sluggo. Nothing Personal
was released in July 2009, debuting at number four on the Billboard 200. The album's first two singles, "Weightless" and "Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)", entered Billboard
s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles and Hot 100 charts.
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ALL TIME LOW TICKETS
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History
Formation and Emerald Moon Records (2003-2005)
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The guitarist Jack Barakat initially 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 (in 2003), 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 listen to the band's live album,
The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!)
, and they started the band
covering Blink-182 songs.
[3]
At the end of their ninth grade, after a years worth of every day pestering by Barakat, drummer Rian Dawson was convinced to
jam with the band. The band were playing "Roller Coaster" by Blink-182, and the old drummer couldn't do it. So Dawson capably took over and they kicked the other drummer out of the band.
A month later, the band asked around in need of a bassist. Zack Merrick showed up at practice with a
skateboard. Barakat later explained their reaction as something like, "Fuck yeah, he plays with his fingers. He's in." Then at the end of the practice session, Merrick did some skateboarding tricks - including a
triple kickflip and the band's decision was reaffirmed. At the end of their ninth grade, All Time Low's current lineup was formed.
They drew a heavy influence from
Blink-182 and
Green Day early on,
and started out covering their songs as well as
New Found Glory's, before they eventually started touring.
The band signed their first record deal in 2004 with
Emerald Moon Records;
this was followed by their first release, the
EP The Three Words to Remember in Dealing with the End
. The following year, they released their debut
studio album The Party Scene
, also on Emerald Moon.
Hopeless Records, So Wrong, It's Right
, and mainstream exposure (2006-2008)
All Time Low has said that the band started getting serious in their senior year of high school, when they signed to
Hopeless Records on
Valentine's Day 2006, right before graduating.
[4] Hopeless then sent the band on a busy tour schedule,
and released the EP
Put Up or Shut Up
later that year. The EP became the band's first record to reach the charts, peaking at number 20 on the US
Top Independent Albums chart and number 12 on the
Top Heatseekers chart.
[5] Put Up or Shut Up
contained newly recorded versions of songs from their previous studio album,
The Party Scene
, along with two new tracks. After extensive touring and promoting to support
Put Up or Shut Up
the band began recording their second full-length studio album.
In 2007 they released their second album
So Wrong, It's Right
, which became their most commercially successful, peaking at number 62 on the
Billboard 200 and number 6 on the Top Independent Albums chart.
The second single from the album, "
Dear Maria, Count Me In", which was written about a
stripper from their hometown,
became their first single to reach the charts, peaking at number 86 on the
Pop 100.
[6]
Following the release of
So Wrong, It's Right
, All Time Low quickly gained popularity, eventually making their
TRL debut on 12 February 2008. They were also been featured on
MTV's Discover and Download,
Music Choice's Fresh Crops, and were been added to both
MTV's Big Ten and
MTV Hits playlists.
[7] [8] On 7 March 2008, the band made their live television debut on
Jimmy Kimmel Live!,
[9] and then performed live at the
mtvU Woodie Awards.
[10] In December 2008, All Time Low was announced as
Alternative Press
magazine's Band of the Year 2008 and was on the cover of the magazine's January issue.
[11]
Nothing Personal
(2009-present)
thumb
In between tours, they began writing for their next album and revealed in an interview that they had co-written a song with
Blink-182 bassist,
Mark Hoppus. The band came into contact with Hoppus after exchanging emails when a video of drummer Rian Dawson getting a Blink-182 tattoo was posted online.
[12] It was later revealed that the song would not feature on the band's record, with Gaskarth stating, "It just didn't fit the vibe of the record," but, "It will definitely come out at some time."
Although still in the writing process, All Time Low went into the studio to begin recording the album in January 2009.
The record was released on July 7, 2009 and titled
Nothing Personal
.
[13] The band finished recording in February, with it being produced by
Matt Squire,
Butch Walker,
David Bendeth, the team of
S*A*M &
Sluggo and a song by
R&B artist
The-Dream.
[14]
The first song from
Nothing Personal
released to the public was "
Weightless", which was made available online at
AbsolutePunk.net on March 24, 2009.
[15] The single was then released for
paid download in the
iTunes Store on April 7, 2009.
[16] A
music video for the single was created, with it debuting on
MTV,
MTV2,
mtvU and HITS the day before the album's release, on 6 July 2009.
[17] [18]
Prior to its official release, the entire album was made available for streaming download on June 30, 2009 through
MTV's The Leak.
[19] [20] Billboard
magazine predicted that
Nothing Personal
looked "like it could" enter the top ten of the
Billboard 200 in it's debut week, saying that it may start with anywhere between 60,000-75,000 sales.
[21] Nothing Personal
debuted at number four and sold 63,000 copies, becoming the group's best sales week and highest charting album.
[22]
A previously unreleased song "Toxic Valentine" will feature of the soundtrack of 2009
dark comedyfilm Jennifer's Body. It is thought to also be a UK only bonus track for
Nothing Personal.
Tours
{{#ifexist:Category:Articles needing additional references from July 2009
In the summer of 2007, All Time Low played the Vans Warped Tour on the Smartpunk Stage. They made their live debut in the UK in late 2007 supporting
Plain White T's.
In early 2008 the band completed their first headlining tour, the Manwhores and Open Sores Tour with opening acts
Every Avenue,
Mayday Parade, and
Just Surrender. At one point during the tour, on the way to a show in Michigan, the band was caught in snowstorm. The driver lost control of their van and did two complete 360's on the highway, with the trailer jack-knifing and leaving the van perpendicular to the median on the highway. Fortunately, all vehicles behind the group were going slow enough to stop in time.
[23] [24]
From March 2008 to May 2008, they co-headlined the AP Tour 2008 with
The Rocket Summer; supported by acts such as
The Matches,
Sonny Moore, and
Forever the Sickest Kids. In May 2008 they played at the
Give It a Name Festival. Also in May 2008, they co-headlined a UK tour with
Cobra Starship. In July 2008, the band headlined the Shortest Tour Ever with supporting acts
Hit the Lights,
Valencia, and
There for Tomorrow. From mid-July to mid-August they played the 2008 Vans Warped Tour. They ended 2008 with their headlining tour, the Compromising of Integrity, Morality & Principles in Exchange for Money Tour with
Mayday Parade,
The Maine, and
Every Avenue.
They played
Fall Out Boy's
Believers Never Die Part Deux Tour in spring 2009, with
Metro Station,
Cobra Starship, and
Hey Monday.
[25] All Time Low also announced tours in both Australia and Japan in June 2009 with
Set Your Goals. The band is also currently doing a ten date tour with
We the Kings,
Cartel and Days Difference.
[26] They are scheduled to headline
Warped Tour 2009 from July 19 until the end of the tour,
and then play at
Voodoo Experience 2009, which will be headlined by
Eminem,
Kiss and
The Flaming Lips.
[27]
All Time Low have recently announced a new European tour due to take place in Autumn/Fall, with support from
The Audition and
The Friday Night Boys.
All Time Low also announced The Glamour Kills Tour with
We The Kings,
Hey Monday, and
The Friday Night Boys. Which starts fall 2009, and will run throughout December 2009.
All Time Low were announced for the Australian Music Festival 'Soundwave 2010'
Band members
- Alex Gaskarth - lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2003-present)
- Jack Barakat - lead guitar, backing vocals (2003-present)
- Zack Merrick - bass, backing vocals (2003-present)
- Rian Dawson - drums, percussion (2003-present)
Discography
- The Party Scene
(2005)
- So Wrong, It's Right
(2007)
- Nothing Personal
(2009)
References
- Top 40 All Time Low Biography
- http://atlsource.net/alltimelow/interviews/2008-recoil-mag/
- AP: FEATURES All Time Low: Come One, Come All
- Backstage Pass: All Time Low
- All Time Low - Artist Albums Chart History
- All Time Low - Artist Singles Chart History
- All Time Low Hit New Found Highs
- Music Choice Brands October as 'Rocktober' with Special Programming Featuring Rock's Legends and Its Rising Stars
- All Time Low To Perform On Jimmy Kimmel This Friday
- Paramore Wins Big At MTVu Woodie Awards
- All Time Low to go into the studio next week
- Ex-Blink, Current +44 Mark Hoppus Hits All Time Low For Song
- The Six Degrees of Summer: Discs
- All Time Low - Nothing Personal
- ABSOLUTExclusive: New All Time Low Song
- All Time Low Stream New Song & Confirm Album Title
- All Time Low streaming Nothing Personal on MTV.com
- MTV.Com to Premiere All Time Low's New Album, Nothing Personal
- All Time Low Album Leak
- Full-Length Album Leak: All Time Low, ‘Nothing Personal’
- Maxwell Headed For Big Billboard Chart Debut
- Maxwell Tops Billboard 200
- All Time Low
- All Time Low
- Breaking & Entering: Hey Monday
- All Time Low reveal headlining tour with We The Kings
- Eminem, Kiss, Flaming Lips To Headline Voodoo Experience