The Summer Set is a band ready to explode into the mainstream. The pop-rock group just released their third full-length album, Legendary, in April.
Tracks such as "Boomerang" have started getting some radio play, the band is currently on the Vans Warped Tour and it seems as though The Summer Set is on the verge of rocketing up the charts.
Lead singer Brian Dales took the time to talk to Mstars on Sunday during the Warped Tour's stop at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J.
Mstars: How did you all come together as a group and how did you wind up at Warped Tour?
Dales: We've been a band since 2007 when most of us were senior in high school and right upon graduating, we just started touring on our own, many tours. We did Warped Tour in 2010, the Alternative Press tour in 2010...We're on the Warped Tour this summer. It's our second time doing it, so we know what we're doing this time and we've had an unbelievable experience all summer.
Any difference between the second time and the first time? Not as many jitters?
So many. At that point, there were never really any jitters in 2010, but we were obviously an exponentially smaller band. We didn't have as big of a crew with us so we were getting up at seven in the morning, unloading the truck with the stage guys, walking the lines and whatnot. We don't really do that any more, so it's more focused just solely on the set and then signing at different tents all day. But it's been a really good summer.
What's the response been to Legendary?
Best response I could have ever asked for. It's really always interesting. We've been a band for six years and you work up to a certain point for so long and then all of a sudden, everything kind of starts really happening the way you wanted it to only in a short matter of months. And that's really cool. We released the album in April. A lot of really awesome opportunities have been happening.
There are bands like Reel Big Fish and some of the older guys that are here. Is it odd at all being in the same arena and venue with those guys that have been doing this for 20 years?
I never really thought about it being weird. It's really interesting. (Drummer) Ryland (Steen) from Reel Big Fish has been really cool to us all summer. I just met him and he watched us every day and I think it's really cool that they're just veterans of this. You just kind of look to them for advice. It's really cool to see those bands come back and do Warped Tour. It is really fun to see how broad the age spectrum is.
What's next for you guys?
Now that the album's out, it's pretty much all touring from here on out. I think we're always kind of working on new music, but there's no plans for an album. We don't have any touring plans yet. We're playing the I Heart Radio Festival in Vegas in September, which we're really excited about. A lot of big names played at that last year so I think it'll probably be a lot of the same this year so that's a really cool opportunity for us. And then, hopefully, another U.S. tour in the fall. We just don't know what yet.
If there's something that you would identify in yourselves that sets you apart from some of the other bands that are at this tour, what would it be?
On this tour, it's just a lot of metalcore and we are a very pop band. Musically, we stick out and at first that kind of scared me, but I've loved everything about it. It's really kind of helped us. We have a girl drummer. That's a little different.
We're just a very different band in general from a lot of bands on this tour. We're not a heavy band. We're not a screaming band. I think people have really been resonating with our songs because they've very concise, very cohesive songwriting about just inspiring people to be the best versions of themselves that they can be, so I think that's helped us stand apart. We go on stage every day and just try to make people feel like they're alive.
