The Summer Set is an American
rock band from
Scottsdale, Arizona
, settlement_type = City
, named_for = Winfield Scott
, image_skyline =
, image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg
, image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg
, nick ...
, United States. The band consists of lead vocalist Brian Logan Dales, guitarist John Gomez, bass guitarist Stephen Gomez, and drummer Jess Bowen. The Summer Set was signed to
The Militia Group in 2008,
Razor & Tie
Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles and ...
from 2009 to 2011, and to
Fearless Records
Fearless Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 1994. Fearless is based in Culver City, California, and is best known for its early pop punk moments captured in the ''Fearless Flush Sampler'' and ''Punk Bites'' releas ...
from 2012 to 2017. The Summer Set released four full-length studio albums: ''
Love Like This'' (2009), ''
Everything's Fine'' (2011), ''
Legendary'' (2013), and ''Stories for Monday'' (2016). The band toured with numerous musical acts, including
The Cab
The Cab is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Their debut album, '' Whisper War'', was released on April 29, 2008. They have been called "The Band You Need to Know 2008" by '' Alternative Press'' magazine. They were also featured in ...
,
We Are the In Crowd,
Mayday Parade
Mayday Parade is an American rock band from Tallahassee, Florida. Their debut EP ''Tales Told by Dead Friends'' was released in 2006, and sold over 50,000 copies without any label support. In July 2007, Mayday Parade released their debut album '' ...
,
Sleeping with Sirens,
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band to ...
,
The Downtown Fiction, and
Action Item
Action Item is a four-piece pop rock band based out of Bergen County, NJ.
History
Action Item started off as a five-piece consisting of Cag, Li, Brozek, Buczkowski, and Politz. After self-releasing numerous songs via their Myspace page, the f ...
.
On October 17, 2017, the band announced that they were going on an indefinite hiatus.
On August 23, 2021, the band announced they were back together.
History
Formation and early years
Prior to the formation of The Summer Set, Jess Bowen and brothers Stephen and John Gomez played in a band called Last Call for Camden, along with Kennedy Brock (
The Maine
''Maine'' was a United States Navy ship that sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, contributing to the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April. U.S. newspapers, engaging in yellow journalism to boost circulation, claimed that ...
) and Weston Michl. Last Call for Camden released one album, ''Keep Your Feet On the Ground'', before disbanding.
The Summer Set was formed in 2007, when John Gomez, Stephen Gomez, Jess Bowen, and Brian Logan Dales began writing and performing music. Josh Montgomery later joined the band as a guitarist in 2008. The Summer Set self-released their first EP ''Love the Love You Have'' in November 2007. In April 2008, the band signed its first record deal with
The Militia Group. The band recorded and released their EP ''…In Color'' on June 24, 2008. The EP was reviewed on several music websites. The Summer Set also recorded a pop punk cover of
Usher
Usher may refer to:
Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place:
* Usher (occupation)
** Church usher
** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony
** Fiel ...
's hit song "
Love in This Club" later that year.
In December 2008, the band released their third EP ''
Meet Me on the Left Coast'', which featured two new tracks and a cover of "Love in This Club" as an iTunes bonus track. The band also appeared on the ''
Punk Goes Classic Rock'' album released on April 27, 2010, by Fearless Records, covering "
I Wanna Rock and Roll All Nite" by
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
.
On the April 5, 2011, episode of ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series ''Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the form ...
'', actress
Chelsea Kane and partner
Mark Ballas
Mark Alexander Ballas Jr. (born May 24, 1986) is an American dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, musician, and actor.
Ballas is a professional ballroom dancer on the ABC program ''Dancing with the Stars''. He began competing on the show ...
danced a
Cha-Cha-Cha set to The Summer Set's "Chelsea". In a behind-the-scenes package shown prior to the dance, Kane revealed that the song was written for her by Brian Logan Dales, who she had been dating at that time.
On Monday, August 23, 2021, the Summer Set announced they are back along with a new single out on Friday, August 27, 2021, called "Street Lightning."
Records
''Love Like This''
The Summer Set's debut full-length album ''Love Like This'' was released on October 13, 2009.
On July 6, 2010, The Summer Set released an expanded version of their debut album ''Love Like This'' titled ''Love Like Swift'', which featured five live Taylor Swift cover songs (recorded at The Hoodwink at the 2010 Bamboozle Festival).
''Everything's Fine''
''
Everything's Fine'' is The Summer Set's second full-length album, released on July 19, 2011, through
Razor & Tie
Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles and ...
.
The group wrote with
Paul Doucette of
Matchbox 20 and
Mike Daly of
Whiskeytown
Whiskeytown was an American alternative country band formed in 1994 from Raleigh, North Carolina. Fronted by Ryan Adams, the group included members Caitlin Cary, Phil Wandscher, Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, and Mike Daly. They disbanded in 2000 wi ...
in Nashville. They recorded the album with producer
John Fields. "He pushed us hard and he brought so much out of us," said Brian Logan Dales. "We had some early demos that sounded like our last record, but when we were done, everything sounded so new and different."
''Everything’s Fine'' presented a departure from The Summer Set’s previous sound, featuring slower tempos and solemn themes. "The title is a bit sarcastic," said Stephen Gomez of the record. "Our first record was just one emotion. Everything’s Fine is yin and yang. We’ve had some ups and downs recently, some breakups, some general trials and tribulations. This is a record that says 'we’re young, but growing up and experiencing new things.'"
On May 6, 2011, the band launched a crowd-sourced lyric video for "Someone Like You." The video featured live recordings of the band taken by fans during the Dirty Work Tour with
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band to ...
.
''Legendary''
Over the summer of 2012, members of The Summer Set rented a house together in Tempe, Arizona, where they wrote songs for their upcoming full-length album ''Legendary''. The band stated that living communally that summer inspired the lyrical content of their third album, and sparked the fun-loving energy of the album cycle that ensued.
The Summer Set released ''Legendary'' on April 16, 2013, through
Fearless Records
Fearless Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 1994. Fearless is based in Culver City, California, and is best known for its early pop punk moments captured in the ''Fearless Flush Sampler'' and ''Punk Bites'' releas ...
. The lead single "Boomerang" was released in March of that year. The music video for the second single "Lightning in a Bottle" was released on April 8, 2014.
In late 2013, The Summer Set took part in the
Macy’s
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbrella brand for iHear ...
Rising Star competition. After the contest’s six million online votes were tallied, The Summer Set was announced 2013’s Rising Stars. As the winners, the band performed at the
iHeartRadio Music Festival, as well as Macy’s
Glamorama events with
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three ...
and
The Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida.
The g ...
. On November 28, 2013, The Summer Set took part in the
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with ...
. Their performance of "Lightning in a Bottle" was featured on the television broadcast.
After ''Legendary'' was released, The Summer Set created Half Moon Kids: a community forum designed to share, discuss, encourage, and support the creative efforts of The Summer Set fans. As part of the Half Moon Kids initiative, the group launched the Legendary Moments Campaign, which assisted fans in achieving longstanding goals and dreams. The Summer Set later released Half Moon Kids clothing and accessories for purchase.
''Stories for Monday''
The Summer Set's fourth studio album ''Stories for Monday'' was released on April 1, 2016. Singles from the album include "Figure Me Out", "Missin' You", and "Jean Jacket", which were all released prior to the album's release date. The Summer Set released a music video for the song "Wasted" on April 1, 2016.
On April 4, 2016, The Summer Set played at a
Bernie Sanders rally in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, Wisconsin, along with
3OH!3
3OH!3 (pronounced "three oh three") is an American electronic music duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single " DONTTRUSTME" from their album '' Want'', which reached number ...
.
Hiatus announcement
In early 2017, Brian Logan Dales announced that he had been working on a separate project called DALES with producer and guitarist Matt Beckley since 2014. On April 30, 2017, DALES released its first single "Young for the Summer." DALES released additional singles throughout 2017. Since then, Brian Logan Dales has appeared multiple times for surprise DJ sets at Emo Nite in Los Angeles.
On October 17, 2017, The Summer Set announced on Twitter that they were going on an indefinite hiatus.
Brian Logan Dales confirmed the announcement in separate posts on his private Tumblr and Twitter accounts.
Return and ''Blossom, Pt. 1''
On August 23, 2021, the band announced via Instagram that they were reuniting, minus former member Josh Montgomery. They released a new single on August 27, 2021, called "Street Lightning."
They released another single on December 3, 2021, titled "Back Together."
They released the third single on June 16, 2022, called "Teenagers" featuring Chrissy Costanza of
Against The Current.
The following day, June 17, 2022, the band announced that they would be putting out a two-part album called ''Blossom'', the first part of which was set to be released on September 9, 2022. The fourth single off the album was released on August 12, 2022, called "Hard Candy".
They released the final single, called "FTS" featuring
Travie McCoy
Travis Lazarus "Travie" McCoy (born August 5, 1981) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is the co-founder and former lead vocalist of the rap rock band Gym Class Heroes, in addition to having a solo career. McCoy became involved ...
, on September 2, 2022, a week before the album's release date.
The album was officially released worldwide on September 9, 2022, while the second half of it is expected to be put out in summer 2023.
Tours
In 2009, The Summer Set played at Alternative Press's AP Tour, touring with bands such as
The Cab
The Cab is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Their debut album, '' Whisper War'', was released on April 29, 2008. They have been called "The Band You Need to Know 2008" by '' Alternative Press'' magazine. They were also featured in ...
,
Never Shout Never,
Hey Monday
Hey Monday was an American rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, formed in 2008. They released their debut album '' Hold On Tight'' in 2008, which produced the singles "Homecoming" and "How You Love Me Now". The album was followed up with th ...
, and
Every Avenue. Following the AP Tour, The Summer Set toured with
Cartel
A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. Cartels are usually associations in the same sphere of business, and thus an alliance of rivals. Mo ...
.
In 2010, the band went on to play several festivals including
The Bamboozle
The Bamboozle is an annual three-day music festival which was held in New Jersey from 2003 to 2012, and is scheduled for a 2023 revival by its founder. Every year, new bands competed for spots during the two days. The event evolved out of the ...
festival and the Vans Warped Tour.
In 2011, The Summer Set participated in the free OurZone Magazine Tour, which took place over seven dates in the United Kingdom in May 2011. The band was also part of the Dirty Work Tour, which included
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band to ...
,
Yellowcard
Yellowcard is an American rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1997 and was based in Los Angeles beginning in 2000. The band is recognized for having a distinct sound in their genre, primarily due to the prominent use of a violin i ...
, and
Hey Monday
Hey Monday was an American rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, formed in 2008. They released their debut album '' Hold On Tight'' in 2008, which produced the singles "Homecoming" and "How You Love Me Now". The album was followed up with th ...
. The Dirty Work Tour ran from March to May in 2011, covering most of the United States.
In 2013, the Summer Set performed on the
Vans Warped Tour 2013
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running tourin ...
on the Kia Forte Stage and Tilly's Stage.
In 2014, The Summer Set toured in the United Kingdom with
Paradise Fears and
William Beckett on a string of dates after touring with
We Are the In Crowd,
Sleeping With Sirens, and
Mayday Parade
Mayday Parade is an American rock band from Tallahassee, Florida. Their debut EP ''Tales Told by Dead Friends'' was released in 2006, and sold over 50,000 copies without any label support. In July 2007, Mayday Parade released their debut album '' ...
in Europe. The Summer Set also completed an acoustic tour for Legendary in the United States. The band also participated in the
Vans Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
for the second year in a row.
In 2015, The Summer Set traveled across the United States, performing twelve acoustic shows on the "We like It Quiet Tour".
The Summer Set played shows throughout the United States and United Kingdom from April to June in 2016 on the Stories for Monday Tour. The Stories for Monday tour opened with
Handsome Ghost
Handsome may refer to:
*Physical attractiveness
*Human physical appearance
Music
*Handsome (band), an American rock band
Albums
*Handsome (EP), ''Handsome'' (EP), 1989 EP by American band Tar
*Handsome (Handsome album), ''Handsome'' (Handsome al ...
, Karizma, and
Royal Teeth. That summer, The Summer Set played the final two weeks of the Vans Warped Tour. In August 2016, the band announced the Made for You Tour, where fans were allowed to select cities in which the shows would be played. During the Made for You Tour, the band performed shows across the United States throughout October and early November 2016.
Following their return, the band played at Chain Fest 2021, as well as some intimate shows in December. They then played a headliner show at the 8123 Fest in Phoenix, Arizona, as well as the main show.
The Summer Set toured in the United Kingdom in June 2022, after which they performed at Sad Summer Fest. The band is going to perform a show celebrating 15 years of The Summer Set and their new album on November 3, 2022, in Los Angeles.
Musical style
The Summer Set's musical style has generally been regarded as
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...
,
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 ...
,
[ ]alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
, emo pop
Emo pop (also known as emo pop punk and pop-emo) is a fusion genre combining emo with the melodies of pop punk and/or pop music. Emo pop features a music style with more concise songs and hook-filled choruses. Emo pop began in the 1990s with b ...
,[ ]pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
,[Summer Set, The - Love Like This - Album Review]
AbsolutePunk.net. synth-pop
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 ...
[ and ]power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ...
.
Members
Current line-up
* Brian Logan Dales — lead vocals (2007–present)
* Jess Bowen — drums (2007–present)
* John Gomez — lead guitar, piano, backing vocals (2007–present)
* Stephen Gomez — bass guitar (2007–present)
Past members
* Dillon Morris — rhythm guitar (2007)
* Josh Montgomery — rhythm guitar (2008–2017)
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
* ''Love the Love You Have'' (self-released, November 30, 2007)
* '' ...In Color'' ( The Militia Group, June 24, 2008)
* '' Meet Me on the Left Coast'' (The Militia Group, December 12, 2008)
* ''What Money Can't Buy'' (self-released, November 28, 2011)
Singles
References
External links
The Summer Set
official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Summer Set, The
Musical groups from Phoenix, Arizona
American power pop groups
2007 establishments in Arizona
Musical groups established in 2007
Musical groups disestablished in 2017
Musical groups reestablished in 2021
Fearless Records artists
American pop rock music groups
American emo musical groups
Rock music groups from Arizona
Alternative rock groups from Arizona