The Summer Set
The Summer Set was an American rock band from Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. The band consisted of lead vocalist Brian Logan Dales, guitarists Josh Montgomery and John Gomez, bass guitarist Stephen Gomez, and percussionist Jess Bowen. The Summer Set was signed to The Militia Group in 2008, Razor & Tie from 2009–2011, and to Fearless Records from 2012–2017. 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, We Are the In Crowd, Mayday Parade, Sleeping with Sirens, All Time Low, The Downtown Fiction, and Action Item.
The Summer Set | |
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![]() The Summer Set in 2011 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 2007–2017 |
Labels | |
Website | thesummersetband |
Past members |
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On October 17, 2017, the band announced that they were going on an indefinite hiatus.[1]
History
Formation and the 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) 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.[2][3] The band recorded and released their EP …In Color on June 24, 2008. The EP was reviewed on several music websites.[4][5][6] The Summer Set also recorded a pop punk cover of Usher'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.
On the April 5, 2011 episode of Dancing with the Stars, actress Chelsea Kane and partner Mark Ballas 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.[7]
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).[8]
Everything's Fine
Everything's Fine is The Summer Set's second full-length album, released on July 19, 2011 through Razor & Tie.
The group wrote with Paul Doucette of Matchbox 20 and Mike Daly of Whiskeytown 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.'" [9]
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.[10]
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. 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 iHeartRadio 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 and The Backstreet Boys. On November 28, 2013, The Summer Set took part in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 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, Wisconsin, along with 3OH!3.
Tours
In 2009, The Summer Set played at Alternative Press's AP Tour, touring with bands such as The Cab, Never Shout Never, Hey Monday, and Every Avenue.[11] Following the AP Tour, The Summer Set toured with Cartel.[12]
In 2010, the band went on to play several festivals including The Bamboozle festival and the Vans Warped Tour.[13]
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.[14] The band was also part of the Dirty Work Tour, which included All Time Low, Yellowcard, and Hey Monday. The Dirty Work Tour ran from March to May in 2011, covering most of the United States.[15]
In 2013, the Summer Set performed on the Vans Warped Tour 2013 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 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 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, 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.
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.[1] Brian Logan Dales confirmed the announcement in separate posts on his private Tumblr and Twitter accounts.
Musical style
The Summer Set's musical style has generally been regarded as pop rock,[16][17] pop punk,[18][19] alternative rock,[20] emo pop,[20] pop,[19] synth-pop[19] and power pop.[21]
Members
Final line-up
- Brian Logan Dales — lead vocals (2007–2017)
- Jess Bowen — drums (2007–2017)
- John Gomez — lead guitar, piano, backing vocals (2007–2017)
- Stephen Gomez — bass guitar (2007–2017)
- Josh Montgomery — rhythm guitar (2008–2017)
Past members
- Dillon Morris (2007)
Discography
Studio albums
- Love Like This (2009)
- Everything's Fine (2011)
- Legendary (2013)
- Stories for Monday (2016)
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
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US [22] |
UK | |||
"About a Girl" | 2011 | — | — | Everything's Fine |
"Someone Like You" | — | — | ||
"Mannequin" | 2012 | — | — | |
"When We Were Young" | — | — | ||
"Maybe Tonight" | 2013 | — | — | Legendary |
"Fuck U Over" | — | — | ||
"Boomerang" | 2014 | — | — | |
"Lightning in a Bottle" | — | — | ||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
References
- Set, The Summer (October 17, 2017). "Dear Friends,pic.twitter.com/rOnnngf5C8". Twitter.com.
- Moss, Marissa (March 3, 2009). "AP recommends... The Summer Set Archived July 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine", Alternative Press. Retrieved on June 20, 2009.
- (June 1, 2008). "HS students graduate early for dream jobs", Tucson Citizen. Retrieved on June 20, 2009.
- "The Summer Set – …In Color at Wonka Vision Reviews". Wonkavisionmagazine.com. October 23, 2008. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- "Summer Set, The - ...In Color - Album Review". AbsolutePunk.net. September 30, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- "…In Color by The Summer Set on Die Shellsuit, Die! - The Number One Online Music Magazine and Community". Dieshellsuit.co.uk. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- Cheung, Nadine (April 5, 2011). "The Summer Set Open Up About 'Chelsea' (Kane)". Jsyk.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- "The Summer Set's Taylor Swift Re-Release - News Article". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- "Sneak Attack Media". Sneak Attack Media. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- "The Summer Set - Someone Like You (Fan Video)". YouTube. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- "THE SUMMER SET AP Tour 2010 Dates (Presale Today)". The Audio Perv. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- "This Providence supports Cartel Tour | News". Indie Vision Music. August 10, 2009. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- "The Summer Set | Warped Tour 2010". Substream Music Press. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- "The Summer Set confirm free UK headlining tour" Alt Press. Mar 5, 2011. Last accessed Mar 11, 2011.
- ""The Dirty Work" Tour Dates Announced; Featuring All Time Low, Yellowcard & Hey Monday". Theywillrockyou.com. December 12, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- Garland, Emma. "ATP! Album Review: The Summer Set - Legendary". Alter The Press!. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
- Hauck, Kiel (August 8, 2011). "The Summer Set: Everything's Fine". PopMatters. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
- "Artist Profile - The Summer Set - Bio". Jango.com. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
- Summer Set, The - Love Like This - Album Review. AbsolutePunk.net.
- Leahey, Andrew (October 13, 2009). "Love Like This - The Summer Set | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
- Boy, Davey (July 21, 2011). "Review:The Summer Set: Everything's Fine". PopMatters. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
- "The Summer Set – Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
External links
- The Summer Set official site