Park

Park emerged from Springfield, Illinois, as an indie rock group whose beginnings reached back to the 1990s. Repeated personnel shifts defined their trajectory, leaving them in a fourth configuration by the opening months of 2006. Thoughtful lyrics sat atop a blend of post-hardcore, emo, and pop elements, prompting occasional comparisons to a mix of Alkaline Trio and Midtown. They tracked the Random and Scattered EP during 1999, though its arrival on Middle America Records in 2000 occurred only after an initial breakup and subsequent regrouping. Core members vocalist/guitarist and primary songwriter Ladd Mitchell plus guitarist Justin Valenti then added drummer Miles Logan and bassist Tim Costello to solidify the unit. That EP caught the ear of California’s Lobster Records, the early home of Yellowcard, resulting in a signing.

Their first effort for the imprint, No Signal, was produced by Cameron Webb (Lit, Social Distortion) and appeared in October 2001. The band supported the album with three coast-to-coast U.S. tours over the following year. Returning to Illinois to prepare new material, they faced delays locating a permanent bassist until Alex Haycraft joined, then headed back to California in May 2003 to record once more with Webb. It Won't Snow Where You're Going arrived that November to favorable notices from both critics and listeners, sparking another round of nonstop touring through 2004. Their third album, first known as Building a Better Pirate and ultimately released in July 2006 as Building a Better _____, contained the song “Mississippi Burning,” which addressed the October 2005 murder of Olamide Adeyooye, girlfriend of the Junior Varsity’s Andy Wildrick. Valenti left after completion to attend medical school, and ex-Too Beautiful to Die guitarist Aaron Bickle stepped in. The group maintained its pattern of intensive road work in the months that followed. Mitchell nevertheless exited for personal reasons in early February 2007, concluding the band’s run with a final show that May.