Walk the Moon

Walk the Moon

Left to right: Kevin Ray, Sean Waugaman, Nicholas Petricca, Eli Maiman
Background information
Also known as
  • Wicked in the Mix
  • Kaleidoscope Space Tribe
Origin Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Genres
Years active 2008–present
Labels RCA Records
Associated acts
Website www.walkthemoonband.com
Members Nicholas Petricca
Kevin Ray
Sean Waugaman
Eli Maiman
Past members Adam Reifsnyder
Michael Kolodziej
Nick Lerangis
Sam Cole[1]
Ricky Human[1]
Chris Robinson[2]

Walk the Moon (often stylized as WALK THE MOON) is an American new wave/rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lead singer Nicholas Petricca started the band in 2006, while a student at Kenyon College and went through several member changes before finally coming together with current members Kevin Ray, Sean Waugaman, and Eli Maiman in 2010.[3] The band's name is derived from the song "Walking on the Moon" by The Police.[4] The group independently released their debut album, I Want! I Want!, in November 2010, receiving airplay for the track "Anna Sun" on multiple Alternative radio stations.[5] In February 2011, Walk the Moon signed with Mick Management. They signed to RCA Records and released their first major label album, their second overall, the self-titled Walk the Moon, in June 2012.[6] It is composed of many of their original tracks from I Want! I Want! as well as new tracks that were written specifically for the album and were meant to reflect the kind of energy the band produced in their live shows.[7] In December 2014, the band released their second major-label studio album, Talking Is Hard. This album includes their biggest hit to date, "Shut Up and Dance," which has so far charted at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 1 on Billboard's Rock Songs chart and Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.

SPIN Magazine described them as a "poppy, art-rock quartet".[8] They were also deemed a Nylon Magazine Band Crush for their "swirly pop beats, infectious guitar riffs, and loud, sing-a-long choruses."[9]

History

"Anna Sun"

"Anna Sun" was named the song of the summer in a 2011 Esquire article "30 Summer Songs Every Man Should Listen To".[10] Written by Petricca and New York singer/songwriter Nick Lerangis towards the end of their college career, the song is named after their professor (see here and here) from Kenyon College and is meant to symbolize youth. "It's about college, about maintaining that little bit of being a kid," Petricca said. "Don't be afraid to play."[11]

The band's self-released album I Want! I Want! was recorded by Chris Schmidt and Ben Cochran at Soap Floats Recording Studio in their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Filmed in 2011 in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood,[12] the "Anna Sun" music video was released to coincide with the disc.[12][13] The video was shot on-location at the Cincinnati Mockbee building, as well as Petricca's own home. It was directed and produced by Patrick Meier of the Cincinnati company,[12] Contrast Productions, and features original choreography from Kim Popa of PONES Inc., as well as a cast full of the band's friends and locals from Cincinnati. MTV Hive calls the video a "hilariously choreographed, neon-colored and awesomely shot in one take" production.[14]

"Anna Sun" was added to the video rotation of American Eagle Outfitters stores in May 2011. It was featured on the hit TV show Vampire Diaries in the first episode of season three.[15] It was also the free single of the week on iTunes for the week of May 15. It was also named song of the summer by MTV and Seventeen Mag as well as one of the top songs of the year by Amazon. It has been officially remixed by Fool's Gold and by Trouble Productions. It also rose to the number one spot on Alt. Nation on Sirius XM Radio. Along with the success of Anna Sun, Alt. Nation named them a band you need to know for the Summer of 2012.

2012–13: Walk the Moon

Main article: Walk the Moon (album)

Before the release of their self-titled album, Walk the Moon joined many other performers at the Music Midtown festival and performed on the Great Southeast Music Hall Stage in Atlanta, Georgia in September 2011.[16] In the spring 2011, the band went on a short tour with the west coast band, Grouplove, as well as supported Panic! At the Disco and Weezer on select dates. The band played on the main stage at the 20th Anniversary of Lollapalooza and also supported Local Natives in an Official Lollaplooza Aftershow at Lincoln Hall. In 2011, the band members began to paint their faces for live performances and they would bring enough paint to share with audience members. They have claimed it has become a “live tradition”.[4] Bonnaroo’s camera crew documented the painting process in a short video from the 2011 festival.[17] Preceding the release of their album, RCA put the band on tour with Young the Giant and Kaiser Chiefs, as well as released a three-song sampler, Anna Sun EP, in January 2012.[18] The band played at the Sasquatch Music Festival and Firefly Music Festival. The band’s self-titled major label debut Walk the Moon was released on June 19, 2012, the same day that the band appeared on the Late Show with Dave Letterman. The band has also appeared on Conan on July 18, 2012, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on April 5, 2012, and Last Call with Carson Daly back in 2011. On June 27, 2012, the band joined many other performers at Summerfest Music Festival and performed on the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage.[19] Also in 2012, Walk the Moon played in the iTunes Festival in London, appeared in KROQ’s Weenie Roast 2012, and was the supporting act for Fun on their European tour. Their song “Quesadilla” was added to the official FIFA 13 soundtrack and their second single, “Tightrope” was used in a commercial for the HP Envy 4 Ultrabook laptop.[20] Lead singer Petricca also appeared on the song "Finale" by Madeon, which also appeared on the FIFA 13 soundtrack.[21]

2014–present: Talking Is Hard

Main article: Talking Is Hard

On September 9, 2014, Walk the Moon released the single "Shut Up and Dance" in advance of their new album.[22] Over the course of October 2014, the band released a series of pictures and videos on their Facebook page that hinted at the album's title. The title was officially revealed to be Talking Is Hard on October 29, 2014, with a release date set for December 2.[23] On November 10, 2014, the band released the cover artwork and song listing for Talking is Hard. On November 17, 2014, they released "Different Colors" as the second single off the album.[24] On November 24, 2014, the album was surprise released on Spotify a week before its set release date. On December 2, 2014 the album was released in digital, CD, and vinyl formats. It was the number 4 album on iTunes the day of its release.[25] The album also charted at number 26 on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release.

In July 2015, the Cincinnati-originated band performed "Shut Up and Dance" in front of a hometown crowd at Great American Ballpark, prior to the start of the Home Run Derby.[26]

On November 16, 2015, the group sang the national anthem, preceding a Monday Night Football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Houston Texans, which was played at Paul Brown Stadium in their native Cincinnati. On January 1, 2016, they performed "Shut Up and Dance" and "Work This Body" on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve in New York to honor the New Year. The band are also to appear as a collaboration on The Knocks' title "Best For Last" which is being released through their debut album, entitled "55", scheduled to be released 4 March 2016.

Members

Current members


Former members
  • Adam Reifsnyder - bass, backing vocals (2008–2009)
  • Sam Cole - guitar, backing vocals (2008)joined IBM Watson;
  • Ricky Human - drums (2008)
  • Nick Lerangis - guitar, backing vocals (2009)
  • Michael Kolodziej - guitar, backing vocals (2010)
  • Chris Robinson - guitar, backing vocals (2010–2011)

Discography

Studio albums

Awards and nominations

Year Organization Nominated work Award Result Ref.
2015 Teen Choice Awards "Shut Up and Dance" Choice Music: Party Song Nominated [27]
MTV Video Music Award Best Rock Video Nominated [28]
American Music Award Themselves New Artist of the Year Nominated
Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group Nominated
Favorite Alternative Artist Nominated
2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards "Shut Up and Dance" Song of the Year Nominated
Alternative Rock Song of the Year Nominated
Themselves Best Duo/Group of the Year Nominated
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Themselves Favorite New Artist Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 "Flashback: Walk the Moon before the hits". FOX19. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  2. ↑ Baker, Brian (15 January 2015). "Walk the Moon". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  3. ↑ Kaplan, Ilana. "Face Time with Walk the Moon". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  4. 1 2 "Face Time with WALK THE MOON". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  5. ↑ WALK THE MOON. "About WALK THE MOON". Sonicbids. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/20110912090201/http://dailyunsigned.com:80/2011/06/30/walk-the-moon-signs-to-rca-records/. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ Coachman, Kirsten. "Interview: Walk The Moon's Eli Maiman Discusses the Band's New Album". SeattlePi. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  8. ↑ "25 Must-Hear Artists at Bonnaroo 2011 | WALK THE MOON". SPIN.com. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  9. ↑ "Band Crush: Walk The Moon – Nylon Magazine". Nylonmag.com. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  10. ↑ "Walk the Moon – Summer Songs 2011". Esquire. 2010-07-30. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  11. ↑ "WALK THE MOON on Last Call with Carson Daly 4/1/11". YouTube. 2011-04-05. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  12. 1 2 3 "UC alumnus Patrick Meier directs Anna Sun video in Cincinnati". UC Magazine. 2012. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
  13. ↑ "Performer Magazine The Musician's Resource". Performermag.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  14. ↑ Jill Menze (2011-04-22). "Walk the Moon Get Their Neon Kicks | MTV Hive". Read.mtvhive.com. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  15. ↑ "Vampire Diaries Music – Episode 3.01 – The Birthday – Song List - Vampire Diaries Spoilers and News". Vampirediariesonline.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  16. ↑ "Walk the Moon". Midtown Music. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  17. ↑ "Walk the Moon Backstage At Bonnaroo". YouTube. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
  18. ↑ Zemler, E. (2012, Jun 23). ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN.. Billboard – the International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment, 124, 27.
  19. ↑ "Summerfest 2012". Summerfest.com\accessdate=24 December 2014.
  20. ↑ "HP Envy 4 Ultrabook ‘Hot Potato’ 2012 Commercial – What’s the Song?". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  21. ↑ "Madeon feat. Nicholas Petricca – Finale (Original Mix)". Dropbeatsnotbombs.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  22. ↑ "Walk The Moon release new single, "Shut Up And Dance" - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  23. ↑ "Walk the Moon Announce Release of New Album 'Talking Is Hard'". Music Times. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  24. ↑ "Talking is Hard". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  25. ↑ "iTunesChart.net 'Talking is Hard'". iTunes Chart. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  26. ↑ "Walk the Moon plays the Home Run Derby". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  27. ↑ "Wave 2 Nominees". Teen Choice. Teen Choice. July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  28. ↑ "2015 MTV Video Music Awards Nominees Revealed: Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran & More". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 21, 2015.

External links

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