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Walk the Moon

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Walk the Moon
Background information
OriginCincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
GenresIndie rock, alternative rock, power pop, art rock
Years active2008–present
LabelsRCA Records
MembersNicholas Petricca
Kevin Ray
Sean Waugaman
Eli Maiman
Websitewww.walkthemoonband.com

Walk the Moon (stylized as WALK THE MOON) is an indie rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lead singer and Saint Louis[disambiguation needed] native Nicholas Petricca started the band in 2008 and went through several member changes before finally coming together with current members, Kevin Ray, Sean Waugaman, and Eli Maiman sometime in 2010.[1] The band derives their name from the song "Walking on the Moon" by The Police.[2] The group independently released their debut album, i want! i want!, in November 2010, receiving airplay for the track "Anna Sun" on WCRD, WFPK, WKNH, WRLT, and WTMD. In February 2011, Walk the Moon signed with Mick Management. They signed to RCA Records and released their first official album, Walk the Moon in June 2012.[3] Their self-titled debut is composed of many of their original tracks from i want! i want! in addition to new tracks that were written specifically for the album and were meant to reflect the kind of energy the band produced in their live shows.[4]

SPIN Magazine has described them as a "poppy, art-rock quartet".[5] They were also deemed a Nylon Magazine Band Crush for their "swirly pop beats, infectious guitar riffs, and loud, sing-a-long choruses."[6]

History

"Anna Sun"

"Anna Sun" was named the song of the summer in a 2011 Esquire article "30 Summer Songs Every Man Should Listen To".[7] Written by Petricca and New York singer/songwriter Nick Lerangis towards the end of their college career, the song is named after their professor (see here and here) from Kenyon College and is meant to symbolize youth. "It's about college, about maintaining that little bit of being a kid," Petricca said. "Don't be afraid to play."[8]

The band's self-released album i want! i want! was recorded by Chris Schmidt and Ben Cochran at Soap Floats Recording Studio in their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. In November 2010, the "Anna Sun" official music video was released to coincide with the disc.[9]

MTV Hive calls the video a "hilariously choreographed, neon-colored and awesomely shot in one take" production.[10] The video was produced by a local Cincinnati company, Contrast Productions, and features original choreography from Kim Popa of PONES Inc., as well as a cast full of the band's friends.

"Anna Sun" was added to the video rotation of American Eagle Outfitters stores in May 2011. It was featured on the hit TV show Vampire Diaries in the first episode of season three.[11] It was also the free single of the week on iTunes for the week of May 15. It has also been named song of the summer by MTV and Seventeen Mag as well as one of the top songs of the year by Amazon. It has been officially remixed by Fool's Gold and by Trouble Productions. It also rose to the number one spot on Alt. Nation on Sirius XM Radio. Along with the success of Anna Sun, Alt. Nation has named them a band you need to know for the Summer of 2012.

Walk the Moon (2012)

The band was invited to play SXSW in 2011, and appeared on Carson Daly's show Last Call with Carson Daly.[8]

They have supported Panic! at the Disco and Weezer on select dates and completed a short tour in Spring 2011 with the west coast band, Grouplove.

The band paints their faces for live performances and brings enough to share with the audience. They have claimed it has become a "live tradition".[2] Bonnaroo's camera crew documented the painting process in a short video from the 2011 festival.[12]

The band played the main stage at the 20th Anniversary of Lollapalooza and also supported Local Natives in an Official Lollapalooza Aftershow at Lincoln Hall.

The band joined many other performers at the Midtown Music festival and performed on the Great Southeast Music Hall Stage.[13]

In 2012, the band toured with Young the Giant and the Kaiser Chiefs, playing the Sasquatch Music Festival and Firefly Music Festival. They appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on April 5.

On June 27, the band joined many other performers at Summerfest Music Festival and performed on the U.S Cellular Connection Stage.[14]

Also in 2012, they played in the iTunes Festival in London.

Their hit single "Quesadilla" was added to the official FIFA 13 soundtrack.

They also have appeared in KROQ's Weenie Roast 2012. Later in 2012 Walk the Moon will be the supporting act for fun. in their European tour.

The band also played for David Letterman on his late night talk show on June 19 and appeared on Conan on July 18.[15]

The band's self-titled major label debut Walk the Moon was released on June 19, 2012.

In May 2013, the band played at the UC Riverside spring festival, Spring Splash.

The band's second single, "Tightrope," was used in a commercial for the HP Envy 4 Ultrabook laptop.[16]

Members

  • Nicholas Petricca: lead vocals, keys, synthesizer, bass drum
  • Kevin Ray: bass, vocals
  • Sean Waugaman: drums, vocals
  • Eli Maiman: guitar, vocals

Discography

Albums

  • The Other Side: B-Sides and Rarities (2009, self released)
  • I Want! I Want! (2010, self released)
  • Walk the Moon (2012, RCA)

Extended plays

  • The Anthem (2008)
  • Anna Sun (2012)
  • Tightrope (2013)

Singles

Year Song Chart peak Album
US
Alt 		US
Rock
[17] 		CAN
Alt
[18]
2012 "Anna Sun" 10 20 39 Walk the Moon
"Tightrope" 15 48 45
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

References

  1. ^ Kaplan, Ilana. "Face Time with Walk the Moon". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  2. ^ a b http://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/walk-the-moon#_
  3. ^ http://dailyunsigned.com/2011/06/30/walk-the-moon-signs-to-rca-records/
  4. ^ Coachman, Kirsten. "Interview: Walk The Moon's Eli Maiman Discusses the Band's New Album". SeattlePi. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  5. ^ "25 Must-Hear Artists at Bonnaroo 2011 | WALK THE MOON". SPIN.com. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  6. ^ "Band Crush: Walk The Moon - Nylon Magazine". Nylonmag.com. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  7. ^ "Walk the Moon - Summer Songs 2011". Esquire. 2010-07-30. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  8. ^ a b "‪WALK THE MOON on Last Call with Carson Daly 4/1/11‬‏". YouTube. 2011-04-05. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  9. ^ http://performermag.com/2011/03/01/record-review-walk-the-moon/
  10. ^ Jill Menze (2011-04-22). "Walk the Moon Get Their Neon Kicks | MTV Hive". Read.mtvhive.com. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  11. ^ "Vampirediariesonline.com". Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  12. ^ "‪Walk the Moon Backstage At Bonnaroo‬‏". YouTube. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  13. ^ "Walk the Moon". Midtown Music.
  14. ^ "Summerfest 2012".
  15. ^ http://walkthemoonband.com/news/2012/07/19/anna-sun-on-conan/
  16. ^ http://diffuser.fm/hp-envy-4-ultrabook-hot-potato-2012-commercial-whats-the-song and also in one episode of The Vampire Diaries (4x21) /
  17. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/walk-the-moon-mn0000230297/awards
  18. ^ [1]

External links

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