AllStar Weekend Has the Drive to Succeed

Allstar Weekend is taking the music industry by storm, one step at a time.

With their debut EP, Suddenly, peaking at number 62 on the Billboard 200, and their highly anticipated debut album Suddenly Yours in the works, there’s no question that pop/rock band Allstar Weekend is definitely going places. Made up of Michael Martinez, Cameron Quiseng, Nathan Darmody and Zach Porter, this is a group of lively young artists that started as a crew of tight-knit, high-school friends, writing songs and recording demos in their own homes. I recently had the chance to talk with lead vocalist Zach Porter to find out some more about their how their band came to be and all the success they have experienced so far.

YT: How has growing up together and going to the same school benefited the band?
ZP: I think that growing up together definitely benefited us because we know we can trust each other, we’re like brothers. We’ve known each other before any of this, so at the end of the day and through all the stuff we go through, we’ll always have each other to look to when things get crazy. So, it’s just a level of comfort that you have with that kind of friendship.

YT: For those who haven’t heard of Allstar Weekend, how would you describe your sound?
YT: Our sound is rock music mixed with dance and pop music. We have guitars, loud drums, but at the same time we have keyboard, we play disco beats and so it’s kind of a blend of different genres.

YT: Can you tell us about the concept behind your new EP, and what inspired the title, Suddenly?
YT: The concept behind Suddenly came from when we really wanted to use a lyric from one of our songs for our title, and "Suddenly" is a word in Dance Forever, which is our single. It’s a cool word that kind of adds a feeling to it that’s kind of powerful. In a way, it represents us. You know, we’re young and we’re fresh, so that’s how we like to think about it.

YT: You’re on the road right now, promoting Suddenly. How have you been enjoying life on the road, and how have the fans reacted to the music?
ZP: It’s really been amazing; it’s such an adventure going on the road. This is our first time on tour, up until last summer. It’s such a blast, we’re all really good friends, we grew up together, we’re buddies, we hang out all the time and we’re having a great time. The shows have been amazing, the fans have been awesome.

YT: Where do you find inspiration for your songs, and how was the experience of being in a professional recording studio like?
ZP: Well, we find inspiration for our songs in all different kinds of places. I started out as a lyricist long before we were performing. I would write about growing up, and a lot of our songs would be about our dreams of being rock stars, so a lot of our music comes from the perspective of aspiring musicians. So that’s where a lot of our lyrical content comes from. The studio has been awesome because before we got signed, we wrote all the songs and made all our demos at our houses. And we would be recording, trying to perfect our sound and the quality of the recording. The studio helped us to focus on the song, and not the quality of recording so we could really pay attention to our music.

YT: The last 12 months have probably been crazy for you guys. What have been some of your biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way?
ZP: Well, I remember when I started eleventh grade, I took this really hard class, and I was freaking out for two days because, "Oh my God there’s so much homework, there’s so much going on, and how am I ever going to go through a whole year of this, every day." And my friend was like, "look man, just take it one day at a time, get what you have to get done, and then move on to the next thing." So that’s how we look at the band. We take it one day at a time, and we just try to stay grounded and stay focused on what we need to do, one day at a time. So, we don’t worry about what’s coming up a week or a month later, we just worry about what we’re doing now, and that’s really helped us to accomplish what needs to be accomplished.

YT: How have your friends and family reacted to your success and have they always been supportive?
ZP: Well, it’s been a long road, definitely. When I first told my parents that I wanted to be in a band and drop out of college, they were of course not excited. They were like "this is crazy, it’s a pipe dream, Zach. This is not a real, legitimate career." But I really wanted to do it, so I went up to my dad and I was like, "dad, if I start my first year of college and then I get signed by a major record label, then I’ll stop going to school and I’ll pursue that." And he said "deal." So, I went to college for a year, at the end of the year I got signed and I started doing this. And now he’s never been more supportive, he’s like our biggest fan. He’s so into it, he comes to all the shows, he’s like front-row. At one of our biggest concerts in Los Angeles, it was so funny seeing him, like all around all the girls. It’s just amazing; I think that it brought all of our families together, because it’s something we can all relate to.

YT: What can your fans look forward to next from Allstar Weekend?
ZP: Well we’re so excited about the release of Come Down With Love our brand new single, and the release of Suddenly Yours. It’s really a new chapter in Allstar Weekend, and we’re just really excited to hear all the songs and to go out on tour again in November and in the next spring and summer, because we love meeting fans, we love playing shows, so we’re really excited for all that and there’s a lot to be excited for.

YT: Do you have any advice for young bands hoping to make it big one day?
ZP: I think that drive goes a long way, and if you really figure out what you’re doing and how you need to get to where you need to be, I think the drive is more important than talent. I think you can become talented through drive, and drive can get you a long way. I’m not saying that you don’t need talent, but just driving yourself is really the most important thing in anything in life.