{"id":4561,"date":"2010-04-27T13:59:05","date_gmt":"2010-04-27T17:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/?p=4561"},"modified":"2010-04-27T13:59:05","modified_gmt":"2010-04-27T17:59:05","slug":"sparks-the-rescue-from-maine-to-mainstream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/2010\/04\/27\/sparks-the-rescue-from-maine-to-mainstream\/","title":{"rendered":"Sparks the Rescue: From Maine to Mainstream"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><a href=\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Sparks1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-4577\" title=\"Sparks1\" src=\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Sparks1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Sparks1\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Alex Roy barely has time to talk.<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">He\u2019s busy packing. \u00a0Again.\u00a0 He just wound up a series of shows yet tomorrow Alex and his band, Sparks The Rescue, heads back out on the road. \u00a0This time it\u2019s the Lab Apparel-sponsored Bring Me Home Tour, a 19-date run that will run through the end of April.\u00a0 Not long after that ends, they join the Vans Warped Tour for 21 dates that take them all over the country.<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">It\u2019s been like this for lead singer\/guitarist Alex and his Sparks The Rescue bandmates since signing with Fearless Records last year, who released an updated version of their first LP, \u201cEyes to the Sun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">A tour with The Morning Of, Ian Walsh, and We Are The In-Crowd soon opened the door to a short European tour with the popular All-American Rejects, giving Sparks their first true taste of the \u2018big time.\u2019<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">\u201cIt\u2019s been a whirlwind, but it\u2019s been amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">Oh, and let\u2019s not overlook their video for \u201cWe Love Like Vampires,\u201d which has been getting a lot of buzz on <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mtv.com\/videos\/sparks-the-rescue\/461951\/we-love-like-vampires.jhtml\">MTV.COM<\/a><\/strong>, or the fact they landed tracks on MTV shows <em>The Hills<\/em> and <em>Real World: Cancun, 2009.<\/em>They also did a seven-week cross-country tour with Hit The Lights, and even won MTV\/Garnier Fructis\u2019s &#8220;I Want My Music On MTV! Competition&#8221; for a chance to play at mtvU\u2019s 2009 Woodie Awards.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s safe to say, \u2018whirlwind\u2019 is an understatement.<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->Alex, Nathan Spencer (drums), Ben Briggs (bass), Toby McAllister (guitar), and Mike Naran (guitar), round out the quintet from Portland, ME. \u00a0They\u2019ve come a long way since their days as a neo-skate-punk outfit covering Blink-182 songs back in the early 2000\u2019s.\u00a0 Over time, the band\u2019s sound has slowly evolved, from pop to more straight-ahead rock.\u00a0 They\u2019ve released two EPs, then \u201cEyes to the Sun,\u201d and have played out constantly, refining their sound and building loyal following.\u00a0 Today the buzz and momentum the band is building is full-on high.<\/p>\n<ul><a href=\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/IMG_5828.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-4590\" title=\"IMG_5828\" src=\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/IMG_5828-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_5828\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><\/ul>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">Alex still remembers vividly when their songs first started playing on a local Portland, ME radio station as if that were the be-all, end-all.\u00a0 Little did he or the band imagine that Sparks would grow, leading to something so consistent and so positive.\u00a0 Back then it was all about having fun, he reflects, trying to develop their local music scene.\u00a0 Today it\u2019s tours and booking agents, responsibilities and interviews, contracts and Twittering to fans.<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">\u201cAt first it was incredible just hearing our songs on WCYY [in Portland],\u201d Alex reflected.\u00a0 \u201cIt inspired us.\u00a0 We just wanted to ride this thing as far as it would take us.\u00a0 We wanted to make this our job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">If that\u2019s how they define success, they\u2019ve achieved it.<\/p>\n<p>With that success, however, comes more and more responsibility.\u00a0 To fans.\u00a0 To record companies.\u00a0 To themselves.<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">Success also requires them to think long term \u2013 which is increasingly difficult with new opportunities peppering them virtually every week \u2013 but they\u2019re trying.<\/p>\n<ul><a href=\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/IMG_5826.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-4594\" title=\"IMG_5826\" src=\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/IMG_5826-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_5826\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><\/ul>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">\u201cAfter the Warped Tour, we plan to hit the road,\u201d Alex says, with eagerness in his voice that belies someone who has spent the better part of the last five years in a van and even sleeping on fans\u2019 floors.<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">\u201cWe\u2019ll take a few weeks off here and there to write, because we want to record our new album over the winter, and have it drop right before next year\u2019s Warped Tour,\u201d Alex notes.\u00a0 \u201cBut we\u2019re a live act, and we\u2019ll keep doing that even with a new album on the horizon.\u00a0 It\u2019s a bit tougher now, so we just have to work harder make everything fit.\u00a0 Fortunately we have some things now, like a V-Studio 100 portable recording unit, that make it a bit easier on us to lay down ideas, so we\u2019re not as tied to the studio anymore, which is nice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><strong>\u201cDowntime\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">When not on the road, Alex co-owns a recording studio, called DinoWax, in the Portland area.\u00a0 A labor of love, it\u2019s one way Alex gives back to the community that helped launch Sparks The Rescue.\u00a0 At DinoWax, Alex and his partner give young local bands a chance to record in a professional environment, as well as get support and promotion that is often hard to find when a band is just starting out.<\/p>\n<p>DinoWax is outfitted with DAW software near and dear to all of us here at Cakewalk: SONAR.\u00a0 Alex and the band first discovered SONAR 8 while recording their LP.\u00a0 They were won over by SONAR\u2019s ease of use.<\/p>\n<ul><a href=\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Sparks2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Sparks2\" src=\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/Sparks2-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Sparks2\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><\/ul>\n<p>\u201cWe used to use Cubase, but SONAR blew us away,\u201d Alex says.\u00a0 \u201cWe started laying down some tracks with it, and the quality was so good that our producer, John Wyman, ended up incorporating some of those tracks into the masters for our last record.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">\u201cWe love Session Drummer, and use Guitar Rig all the time.\u00a0 And the Matrix View too!\u00a0 We have it at our studio, and we\u2019re getting the young local bands hooked on it too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">But at the end of the day, Sparks is a work-horse touring machine.\u00a0 Fortunately now when they travel, SONAR goes with them.\u00a0 This summer the V-Studio 100 will also help optimize their time, as they\u2019ll be writing and recording in preparation for their upcoming album.\u00a0 The band will actually be sending tracks back to their management and label from the road to get a jumpstart on the song selection process.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2018re psyched to also use the V-Studio 100 on the Warped Tour this year,\u201d Alex added.\u00a0 \u201cNot only are we using it making great tracks that might end up as keepers, but we\u2019ll also be incorporating that unit into our live set due to the functionality of the unit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">Eric Silver, A&amp;R for Double Blind Music, agreed. \u00a0&#8220;For Sparks The Rescue to be able to\u00a0record, edit, mix, and even master new music while on tour is really helpful to the whole team around the band. The\u00a0V-Studio 100 is indeed the ultimate integrated music production system.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\"><strong>Further On Up The Road<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">By this time next year, the band hopes to have a new album ready and even a headlining slot on the Warped Tour.\u00a0 They\u2019d also like to do a tour with All-Time Low, or Train or, their favorite, Jack\u2019s Mannequin.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve been drawing 300-400 kids previously\u2026we\u2019d like to pull up to 1,000.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">That shouldn\u2019t be a problem the way the band is exploding.\u00a0 And if the Warped Tour doesn\u2019t help them get to the four-figure headlining attendance mark, the new album surely will, as it will have more of a decidedly rock bent, and less of an emo-pop texture than previous efforts.<\/p>\n<ul><a href=\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/IMG_5816.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-4592\" title=\"IMG_5816\" src=\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/IMG_5816-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_5816\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><\/ul>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">\u201cPeople are starting to see the change in our music, it\u2019s definitely more advanced than when we first started,\u201d says Alex.\u00a0 \u201cThat includes the tools we use, like SONAR 8.5 and the VS-100. \u00a0They\u2018re really making a difference in our sound.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">But almost as soon as he starts to talk about it, the affable and friendly Alex has to cut the conversation short.\u00a0 He apologizes; the group\u2019s tour manager is giving him the sign to cut the call short.\u00a0 Alex could go on for another half hour it seems.<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">As he signs off, he promises he\u2019ll keep in touch through e-mail and to catch up further when he gets home. That may take some time though.\u00a0 The road seems to be where the band belongs right now.<\/p>\n<p style=\"TEXT-ALIGN: justify\">But eventually all roads lead back to Portland for Sparks The Rescue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alex Roy barely has time to talk. He\u2019s busy packing. \u00a0Again.\u00a0 He just wound up a series of shows yet tomorrow Alex and his band, Sparks The Rescue, heads back out on the road. \u00a0This time it\u2019s the Lab Apparel-sponsored Bring Me Home Tour, a 19-date run that will run through the end of April.\u00a0 &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/2010\/04\/27\/sparks-the-rescue-from-maine-to-mainstream\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Sparks the Rescue: From Maine to Mainstream&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,49],"tags":[1361,1362,1363,1364,12,1365,809,1366,1367,1368,412,1369,1370,520,1371,1372,1373],"class_list":["post-4561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artist-news","category-sonar","tag-eyes-to-the-sun","tag-we-love-like-vampires","tag-all-american-rejects","tag-bring-me-home-tour","tag-cakewalk","tag-dinowax-recording-studio","tag-fearless-records","tag-lab-apparel","tag-maine","tag-mtv","tag-new-release","tag-portland","tag-real-world","tag-sparks-the-rescue","tag-the-hills","tag-vans-warped-tour","tag-wcyy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4561\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}