Midtown is an American

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...

band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States. Midtown was formed in November 1998 by three

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and wa ...

students, but quickly became a quartet. The group released three full-length studio albums and three

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

s before disbanding in 2005. In early 2014, Midtown reunited to play three shows, the first as a secret show at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, and the two remaining at the Skate And Surf Festival. They reunited for more shows in 2022 as openers on My Chemical Romance's reunion tour.

History

Midtown was formed in 1998 by

students Gabe Saporta (vocals/bass), Rob Hitt (drums), and Tyler Rann (guitar/vocals). The group added Heath Saraceno on guitar/vocals, and used its roots in the New Jersey punk scene to develop a sound that combined elements of

and punk rock. Midtown began recording shortly after its formation. The band's first EP, ''The Sacrifice of Life'', was released by Pinball Records in 1999, followed by a debut album, ''

Save the World, Lose the Girl ''Save the World, Lose the Girl'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Midtown. Forming in 1998, Midtown released ''The Sacrifice of Life EP'' in 1999, and was signed to Drive-Thru Records shortly afterwards. They went to California ...

'', released in early 2000 by the American independent record label Drive-Thru Records. The band was then upstreamed to major label

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wi ...

for its following album, ''

Living Well Is the Best Revenge ''Living Well Is the Best Revenge'' is the second studio album by American rock band Midtown. Following the conclusion of the touring cycle of their debut album '' Save the World, Lose the Girl'' (2000), the group went to California to work on the ...

'' (2002). Midtown's next album, '' Forget What You Know'' (2004), was produced while the band was not under contract with a record label and was later picked up by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. This was the band's final studio album; they disbanded shortly after its release in 2005. Former frontman Gabe Saporta then became the lead singer of the

alternative dance Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the U.S.) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained American and worldwide expos ...

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

band Cobra Starship, which disbanded in November 2015. Former guitarist Heath Saraceno joined the band Senses Fail in 2005 but decided to leave them in 2009 to pursue personal endeavors. Tyler Rann went on to sing for Band of Thieves with some friends but eventually left the music business and now works in the fashion/clothing industry.

Brief reunions

On February 17, 2014, Gabriel Saporta announced that Midtown has reunited and performed at the Skate and Surf Festival. On March 9, 2022, My Chemical Romance announced that Midtown would be a supporting act for the US leg of their reunion tour in fall 2022.

Members

* Gabe Saporta – lead vocals, bass guitar (1998–2005, 2014, 2022) * Tyler Rann – vocals, guitars (1998–2005, 2014, 2022) * Heath Saraceno – vocals, guitars (1998–2005, 2014, 2022) * Rob Hitt – drums, percussion (1998–2005, 2014, 2022)

Discography

Studio albums *''

'' (2000) *''

'' (2002) *'' Forget What You Know'' (2004) EPs *''The Sacrifice of Life'' (1999) *''Donots vs. Midtown Split 7"'' (2000) *'' Millencolin/Midtown Split'' (2001) *''New.Old.Rare.'' (2002) Compilation appearances *'' Rock Music: A Tribute to Weezer'' (2002; "Susanne" by Weezer) *''Picking Up the Pieces'' (2003; acoustic version of "Living in Spite") *''Liberation (Songs to Benefit PETA)'' (2003; "This House Is Not a Home") *'' Punk Goes Acoustic'' (2003; acoustic version of "Knew It All Along") *'' Punk Goes 80s'' (2005; cover of " Your Love" by

The Outfield The Outfield were an English rock band based in London, England. The band achieved success in the mid-1980s and are best remembered for their hit single, " Your Love". The band's lineup consisted of guitarist John Spinks, vocalist and bassis ...

)

Post-Midtown projects

* Cobra Starship became the new project of Midtown's bassist and lead singer, Gabe Saporta. Their first single, " Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)", was featured on the soundtrack for the movie '' Snakes on a Plane''. Their first album, '' While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets'' came out October 2006, their second album '' ¡Viva La Cobra!'' came out on October 23, 2007, their third album, '' Hot Mess'', came out on August 11, 2009, and their fourth album, '' Night Shades'', came out on August 29, 2011. The band ultimately broke up on November 10, 2015. * Heath Saraceno played guitar and shared vocal duties in the New Jersey-based rock band Senses Fail until leaving the band after the 2009 Warped Tour. He and Senses Fail drummer, Dan Trapp, have a side-project called The Jettonnes. * Rob Hitt works for Crush Management and also has a record label, I Surrender Records. He shares the label with friend, Ted DiBiase, and has signed I Am The Avalanche,

Four Year Strong Four Year Strong is an American pop punk band from Worcester, Massachusetts, formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalists and guitarists Dan O'Connor and Alan Day, bassist Joe Weiss, and drummer Jake Massucco. They have released seven studio ...

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

, and

Dragonette Dragonette is the stage name of Canadian singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara. Originally an electronic music band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2005, the band consisted of Sorbara with her husband Dan Kurtz as bassist and producer (also in Th ...

. * Tyler Rann works in the fashion/clothing industry.

References

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups disestablished in 2005 Musical groups reestablished in 2014 Pop punk groups from New Jersey Musicians from New Jersey Drive-Thru Records artists MCA Records artists Columbia Records artists Musical quartets