Biography
The emo pop quartet Allstar Weekend came together in San Diego, California, in 2007 while its four members—Zachary Porter on vocals, Nathan Darmody on guitar, Cameron Quiseng on bass, and Michael Martinez on drums—were still attending high school. Drawing influence from local heroes blink-182 along with classic rock figures Queen and Elton John, the group started composing original material and performing at venues throughout the area. As they cultivated a regional following, the musicians also prepared and uploaded tracks to their MySpace page, where the early recordings reached Richard and Stefanie Reines, the pair behind Drive-Thru Records, who soon took on management duties. National exposure arrived the following year when the band was selected for Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing campaign, leading directly to a recording deal with Hollywood Records.
The outfit’s debut single, “A Different Side of Me,” climbed to the summit of Radio Disney’s Top 30 Countdown and moved more than 100,000 units, while its YouTube clips for that song and “Journey to the End of My Life” accumulated substantial view counts. Their first mini-album, Suddenly, arrived in June 2010. Crafted under the guidance of Howard Benson, John Feldmann, and S*A*M & Sluggo, the project highlighted the quartet’s youthful energy and skill for memorable hooks. For the balance of the year the musicians remained on tour, appearing at an array of locations that ranged from Army bases and children’s museums to theme parks and concert halls. During the summer of 2011 Nathan Darmody exited the lineup ahead of dates supporting Selena Gomez owing to personal circumstances; Eric Nicolau stepped in on guitar for those shows and subsequent performances until Darmody’s departure was formally confirmed in September. Later that month the band issued its second full-length release, All the Way, which included the singles “Not Your Birthday” and “Blame It on September.”
The outfit’s debut single, “A Different Side of Me,” climbed to the summit of Radio Disney’s Top 30 Countdown and moved more than 100,000 units, while its YouTube clips for that song and “Journey to the End of My Life” accumulated substantial view counts. Their first mini-album, Suddenly, arrived in June 2010. Crafted under the guidance of Howard Benson, John Feldmann, and S*A*M & Sluggo, the project highlighted the quartet’s youthful energy and skill for memorable hooks. For the balance of the year the musicians remained on tour, appearing at an array of locations that ranged from Army bases and children’s museums to theme parks and concert halls. During the summer of 2011 Nathan Darmody exited the lineup ahead of dates supporting Selena Gomez owing to personal circumstances; Eric Nicolau stepped in on guitar for those shows and subsequent performances until Darmody’s departure was formally confirmed in September. Later that month the band issued its second full-length release, All the Way, which included the singles “Not Your Birthday” and “Blame It on September.”
Albums
