Representative Albums: "Straylight Run," "Straylight Run," "The Needles the Space"
Biography
In the early 2000s, emo rock outfit Taking Back Sunday was steadily gaining popularity among a new generation of punk rock fans, due in part to the dynamic songwriting and vocal team of Adam Lazzara and John Nolan. However, as their powerful debut, Tell All Your Friends, kept gaining momentum, restlessness among bandmembers grew as well, leading to the eventual departure of guitarist/vocalist Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper. Regrouping together under the name Straylight Run, the two completed the band by recruiting Nolan's younger sister Michelle (vocals/keyboards) and ex-Breaking Pangea drummer Will Noon. Forming in May 2003, Straylight Run turned its back on the aggressive attack of Taking Back Sunday -- whose formula many young bands were in turn adopting and expanding upon -- and opted for a more indie rock approach with pensive, dreamy, and often piano-driven tunes. The group soon recorded several demo tracks that they released for free download on their website. The accessibility of the songs, coupled with the past reputation of its chief songwriter, began an early and quickly growing buzz around the band. Straylight Run signed to Victory in April 2004, releasing their self-titled debut six months later; the album contained new songs along with re-recordings of their online demos. Months of touring followed with various bands including Hot Rod Circuit, Say Anything, Northstar, Rooney, and Minus the Bear, while their first single, "Existentialism on Prom Night," gradually worked its way into minor rotation on alternative rock radio, MTV2, and Fuse. Straylight Run next combined their acoustic stirrings with more socially aware lyrics on October 2005's Prepare to Be Wrong EP; in addition to songs addressing the war in Iraq, the release also included a particularly revealing song ("A Slow Descent") about the Taking Back Sunday separation. The band continued touring, hopping on the road with Simple Plan before joining Motion City Soundtrack in spring 2006 as part of MTVu's Campus Invasion tour. Straylight Run announced their signing to Universal Republic in early 2007; their sophomore full-length, The Needles the Space, followed that June. ~ Corey Apar, All Music Guide
When he was still a member of Taking Back Sunday, John Nolan wrote several songs that he didn't feel would go well with the band. After their departure, John and Shaun Cooper recorded several demos with Taking Back Sunday drummer Mark O'Connell. The band began to take its present form when drummer Will Noon was invited to join after his former band, Breaking Pangaea, broke up. Breaking Pangaea's former lead singer was Fred Mascherino, who later took Nolan's place in Taking Back Sunday. Shortly thereafter, John's sister, Michelle DaRosa, joined Straylight Run. [1]
The band gained popularity after posting six demo songs for free download on their official site. By September of that year, they were playing to sold-out crowds in various cities in the Northeastern United States.
Due to John's and Shaun's involvement in their previous band, they were bound by contract to release an album under Victory Records. They began to record their first album in April 2004 and released their self-titled debut album Straylight Run on October 12, 2004 after a one-month postponement. The album sold over 11,000 copies in the first week, and made the Billboard Top 100 Albums list. In late 2005, the band toured with Simple Plan.
Prepare to Be Wrong EP (2005)
On October 4, 2005 the band released their second record in the form of the Prepare to Be Wrong EP. The CD comprised two old demos ("A Slow Descent" from the bands original demo, and "It Never Gets Easier" a demo from the sessions for their first CD Straylight Run, although it was then known as "Costello"), a cover of Bob Dylan's "With God On Our Side" and 3 new songs. The CD ended their contract with Victory Records. Plans for a live DVD were in the works but were shelved.
On December 8, 2007 the band was dropped from Universal Records.
The band toured in support of Bayside in February and early March, 2008. The band toured in support of The Used on the inaugural Get a Life Tour from March 31 through May 11, 2008.[2]
On June 3, 2008 Michelle DaRosa announced that she would be leaving Straylight Run to pursue a solo career. In her MySpace message, she left the door open to rejoining the band at some future time. In late 2008, DaRosa formed the band Destry which also features Sam Means of the indie rock group The Format, as well as Shaun Cooper from Straylight Run.
Un Mas Dos EP (2008)
On June 10, 2008 the band entered the studio for pre-production on their next CD, an EP entitled Un Mas Dos. While the band made the three songs available on the EP available in streaming format through MySpace and other means, and began selling digital download cards at its tour beginning September 9, 2008, on September 16, 2008 the band released the album in a digital format. A vinyl format is also available.
After two tours in late 2008, the band is playing the Soundwave Festivals in Australia in February and March 2009, as well as two shows with Minus the Bear. The band then plans to do further recording, towards another EP.
