It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears for the band, which formed in 2005 in Tallahassee, FL, to be able to play for thousands of fans all over the globe who can sing the words back to them. After the band released its debut EP independently in 2006, the same five guys who remain in the band today were determined to get their music into the right hands.
According to Sanders, it all started with Vans Warped Tour.
“Starting in 2006, following Warped Tour, where we weren’t even a part of the tour, just sort of tagging along, showing up every day, selling CDs to people outside in the lines, you know, literally the most bottom of the rung that we could be. And every summer, sort of coming around again, kind of climbing up to eventually playing the main stage for the first time, I just remember how incredible that was and what an amazing feeling that was, to have come all that way,” says Sanders. “I miss Warped Tour so much, and the camaraderie of being out there for so long with all these people that you love, and meeting new people, and making new friends, and hanging out every day, and so much activity, so much going on; there really was nothing else like it. I really kind of look at that whole arc and whole experience as being one of the things I’m most proud of.”
Sanders thinks that the mainstream boom of pop-punk that’s taken over the music industry in the past couple of years, with Travis Barker producing angsty pop-punk hits for artists like Avril Lavigne, Jxdn, Machine Gun Kelly, Mod Sun, Yungblud and Willow Smith has re-energized the genre.
“I think it’s super exciting,” says Sanders. “I mean really a lot of it is kind of like the Warped Tour scene.”
Sanders notes that the viral reaction to the announcement of the When We Were Young music festival in Las Vegas featuring many of Mayday Parade’s peers who dominated the 2000s pop-punk scene took him by surprise.
“I think that really goes to show you that there is a lot there with pop-punk or emo,” says Sanders. “Even though, you know, the newest wave might be a little bit different or evolved a bit from what the standard is for what we typically do, I feel like it kind of helps everyone in the scene. Even the bands that are 16 years old or older than that.”
This time around, Mayday Parade is hitting the road to play its self-titled album front-to-back, and the band couldn’t be more excited. The run was supposed to be a ten-year anniversary for the album that Sanders notes is one of the fan favorites alongside 2007’s A Lesson In Romantics, but it got pushed back a year due to COVID-19 spikes. The band has played album anniversary shows before, and they were left wanting more. It seems to be a theme for beloved pop-punk bands as All Time Low has done a handful of anniversary tours as well.
Although Sanders is excited for the familiar sound of the sing-along to fan-favorites from the self-titled album like the melodramatic “Oh Well, Oh Well,” he’s just as excited to play the two new songs from last year’s album, What It Means To Fall Apart, that made the setlist.
“Kids of Summer” reflects on the band’s beloved Warped Tour days, attempting to capture the inexplicable feeling of togetherness, understanding and connection that made it so special. “Golden Days” is another nostalgia track, rooted in the longing for a return to the romanticized mirage of pre-pandemic life that so many have spent the past couple of years dreaming up.
“Not a whole lot has changed, to be honest. We still just want to be able to create music that means something to us, and hopefully, means something to other people as well,” says Sanders. “The most rewarding part of all of this is being up on stage, and playing music live for people. We just want to continue to do that.”
Connecting to the fans on a deeply personal level is what has kept the band going all these years. Although, with COVID restrictions, the band is not permitted to greet the fans after every show for pictures, autographs and heart-to-hearts, as they had grown accustomed to, Mayday Parade has added an onstage pre-show Q-and-A to mimic some of that intimacy.
“You hear a lot of people tell you how much our music has been able to help them get through tough times, or whatever they’re dealing with in their lives, and that really means so much to me, and to all of us,” says Sanders. “I just hope that if there was any sort of legacy, it’d be that we were able to help people.” 
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 8, 2022.