EnterTeenment News Presents: Allstar Summer

“Allstar Weekend’s” Zach Porter Covers A Lot of Ground! We Talk Fans, New Music, Life on the Road and More!

EnterTeenment News continues our “All Star Summer” coverage as we chat with Allstar Weekend’s, Zach Porter. Zach and his fellow band members are crazy busy this summer, preparing a new album for release, touring, and getting ready for an even bigger tour with teen sensation, Selena Gomez.

At the heart of all the chaos is really a team of four guys who just love to play music. We get to know one of them a little better. Read more with Zach below.

“I think it was a process that happened over time,” Zach begins about when he knew that music was going to play such a big role in his life. “The first time I was really introduced to music was when I was five and my Mom played me a Bruce Springsteen cassette. That was when I first became a fan of music. I think it was in fourth grade, I took my first guitar lesson… then joined my first band in ninth grade. So it was kind of a gradual process. Ever since high school, I’ve been doing music every day.”

He’s the only one in his family who ever thought about being a professional musician. “My mom was in choir and she sang a little bit and did some shows and some of that but nothing serious. It was all casual. My dad has no has musical interest or ability. My brother can keep a tune but for me it’s definitely the most serious.”

By the time he was in high school, the ambitious teen had already taken the initiative and joined local bands. He then teamed up with friend Nathan Darmody to form their own band, which would ultimately become Allstar Weekend. Zach remembers the early days humbly and fondly. “It was definitely an exciting part of my high school experience. I remember, sometimes my parents would only let us practice on the weekends so I would sit through class every day and be excited thinking about Friday when we get to band practice. It was a fun time. We were really good friends. We still are, but it was just a fun, useful time where we just played music and learned about music with each other. It was cool.”

“I think the first show we ever played was this like Sweet 16 in our friend’s backyard. We were probably horrible,” he says honestly. “We probably sounded awful but it was fun. And it was just a learning experience. Just setting up our stuff on the grass and playing. We did a lot of stuff like that. We used to do pool parties in our neighborhood. We did our high school battle of the bands which was fun. They weren’t very good. We were pretty bad back then but we had a good time.”

All the practicing and small gigs paid off when the group decided to hand out flyers promoting the band after the showing of a Jonas Brothers’ movie. The flyer landed in the hands of a Disney casting executive who was looking for acts to compete in their Next Big Thing contest on Radio Disney. It was fate.

Though they didn’t win the contest, they were good enough for Hollywood Records to sign them anyway. Before they knew it, the group was in a professional recording studio, making an album.

“That was a little scary,” Zach confesses. “Before we were signed, we spent a lot of time at our houses in these kind-of make-shift studios, making songs. So we had recorded before, but never with real equipment, with real producers. It was definitely really crazy. We were nervous. It’s producers we had heard of and we were fans of their work. Now I was in the vocal booth singing for them. [I] didn’t want to mess up. I think I’ve learned a lot. I’ve spent countless hours in studios now. It’s just second nature now I think. Both performing on stage and being in a studio recording are so natural to me now. They’re probably my most natural environments.”

The band has already released one album (“Suddenly Yours”) and appeared on compilations and movie soundtracks. Their single, “Not Your Birthday” can be found on the “Prom” soundtrack CD. A second album is in the works and will hopefully be released by the end of the summer.

Zach says fans can expect the album to be different but it will also be a representation of how the group has grown and progressed. “It’s hard to describe it,” he begins, searching for the right words. “It’s definitely different than our first record but it’s more, I think, what we’ve always kind of wanted to be. We’ve really kind of gone back to our roots and the music that first got us into being a band. So instead of just a pop/rock album, like our first record, it still has that, but it’s also got some soul and some heartland rock and some hip-hop and different elements that we kind of combined.”

“We made a hybrid that I think is a unique Allstar Weekend sound that no one has heard before,” he continues. “It doesn’t sound like anything else really. It’s got a character to it. Also, I think, with this new record, lyrically and with the tone of my voice, I really developed a persona. As a singer and as a storyteller, I think there are much more unique stories to tell. It comes from a voice that’s different than others.”

Though the group has yet to divulge song titles for fear of last minute changes that will affect what makes the album and what doesn’t, the goal was always to put the best songs on the final product. “What it’s all coming down to now… it’s more about 11 or 12 great songs,” Zach notes about setting goals for this project. “There are ballads and there are fast songs and there are mid-tempo songs and there’s weird stuff in between. I think it’s just been about the quality of the song, and writing a good lyric, and just having a good song.”

The guys haven’t been idly sitting around waiting for the album to be released. For over a month now, they have been back out on the road, taking the music to the fans. “Great as always!” he says about how this tour is going. “I don’t think we’ve had a bad tour. It’s been really cool. Recently we were up in Canada, which was fun. So it’s cool to go to different countries. Right now we’re doing a bunch of radio shows on the East Coast in New England. It’s cool. I’m in Rhode Island today which I’ve never been to Rhode Island. I’ve got four states left to cross off my list. That’s exciting!”

This is one of the aspects of the music business that Zach loves the most. “Far above everything else is the writing, recording of songs, and playing on-stage, the actual performance. Those are my two favorite parts. I love all of it, but that’s just really what I want to do. I guess third would be, the business of it. I didn’t know this is what it would be when I came into it but Allstar Weekend, the band, is kind of my company. We are entrepreneurs with this band, this company that we made. That’s really interesting. I like that too.”

The guys are in a different city almost every night, doing what they love. What is Zach’s favorite moment of their set? ““For me, the moment I walk onstage always sets the tone for the whole night. The most important part, for me, to go right is me walking out there, starting the show, getting the audience going. The first note is a big part of it. It starts the whole thing off. That really kind of sets the stage for the rest of the night. So that’s a big one. It’s just fun to kind of keep the flow and keep the energy for an hour or however long you’re playing.”

A big lesson Zach has learned is to travel light. “The one thing I’ve learned in the last three years is the less you bring, the better you’re off. You’re going to get things on the way. It’s hard schlep around a bunch of crap. So I bring a week and ½ worth of clothes and do laundry. And I bring my laptop, my IPOD, my headphones. That’s pretty much it. I got a Kindle which is nice cause you don’t have to carry around a lot of books. That’s it. I don’t really want to bring anything else because it’s just such a process. I don’t really need anything else.”

So how does the gang pass the time on the long stretches between cities? “We read. Well, some of us read,” he laughs. We record. We have recording programs on our laptops and we just break out ideas and write lyrics. Just hang out. We don’t have that much free time really. I feel like a lot of time when we’re not doing something, we’re trying to go to sleep.”

What would Zach do if he had a couple of weeks off? “Just rest!” he laments. “If I had a couple of week off now, I’d go on vacation somewhere. Probably just go somewhere by myself. The thing is, you’re with everybody, your crew and your and your band 24 hours a day. There’s never really any alone time. So I’d probably just take a minute of Zach time, just a couple of days.”

One thing that keeps the boys working so hard is the dedication to their fan base. “Our fans are awesome! We love them! We’re lucky that we’re the kind of band that can have really loyal fans. It’s been really fun watching them grow and us grow together. You come back from these cities and you’ve seen these girls five times. They’re driving five or six hours to see you. It’s really like ‘Wow!” We’re lucky that we have that.”

Don’t forget that the boys are music fans themselves too, though they don’t have much time to get out and see other shows. “We don’t go to that many concerts because we’re at a concert every night. If there’s someone cool in town, like we saw Bon Jovi a couple of months ago because they were in town the night we were town. It’s always inspiring to watch. You know, we watch other band sets too and just kind of, enjoy the music.”

When it comes to his partners in crime, Zach has nothing but good things to say about his road brothers. “Cameron is just a really good friend,” he replies when asked to describe the other guys. “I’ve known him since we were in middle school and he’s very loyal. We’ve always been there for each other. He’s just a good friend and a good guy. Michael, he’s really funny. He’s probably one of the funniest people I have ever met. He’s got a great sense of humor. Of all the people I know close, he’d be the most likely to be a comedian. He’s great. Nathan, he’s just really passionate about music. He loves music. He loves the artists he listens too. He likes playing it. That’s his favorite thing. I think that’s cool that he just really loves to play.”

Though each member of Allstar Weekend is an accomplished musician in their own right, putting the quartet together creates a great musical experience. This is a fact that is not lost on the group. “The cool thing about our band is that it wouldn’t work without every single one of us. We all add something to the equation,” Zach confirms. “We work together but independently of each other. I think we’ve just developed and our roles have matured. Doing it every day, you just get better at what you do.”

Zach is enjoying being on the road right now but is ready for the time where they take the stage right before singer/actress Selena Gomez. “I think the Selena Gomez tour is going to be awesome! It’s the biggest tour I’ve ever been on. I’m just excited to show what we’ve got to a new audience.”

In the meantime, he will continue to sharpen his musical ability by performing and practicing, and offering this very practical advice to aspiring musicians, “I think anything is possible if you have the drive,” he encourages. “I think that’s one thing that people lose sight of is that as much as you are having fun it’s also work and you also have to improve. You’re never perfect. You always have to get better. I think it’s important to always keep drive and always be determined. Always set goals. It can be fun but it also has to be work.”

Watching and hearing Zach and his friends (who also happen to be his co-workers) should definitely be on your “To Do” list this summer. Allstar Weekend brings a lot to the musical table. Not only are their songs catchy and relevant, the group is fun to watch and are becoming better and better musicians with every note they play. They truly are playing from the heart and it shows.

EnterTeenment News Kicks Off Our “All Star Summer” With Nathan Darmody from Allstar Weekend! Summer Never Sounded So Good!

Every successful singer or group has a unique story of how they got discovered. The four guys in Allstar Weekend are no exception. Their road to being signed with Hollywood Records reads like a fairytale complete with a Disney twist.

For the next four months of summer, EnterTeenment News will be getting to know this group better by talking to each member of the band individually. First up is lead guitar player and founding member, Nathan Darmody. A super cool and laid back musician, the California resident has been all about music since the fifth grade.

We recently caught up with Nathan to talk about that fairytale discovery, the guys in the band and what’s up next for these four friends. We’ll give you a hint… it involves a new album being released and hitting the road with a talented young lady named Selena.

Nathan’s musical journey began with a surprising discovery underneath of his father’s bed.  “I was ten years old. I was in fifth grade,” Nathan begins about uncovering his love of music.  “It’s kind of like a Cinderella story. It’s kind of very cliché but I found my Dad’s guitar under his bed. He hadn’t played and I didn’t know anything before that.  So I picked it up and I’m like ‘Whoa, Dad, what’s this guitar doing here?’  He’s like ‘Yeah, I used to play man.’  I had no idea. He never told me.  If it wasn’t for me being so curious… it’s really weird but kind of cool how it happened.” 

“It was a mixture of being self taught and my Dad just kind of showing me the ropes,” he says about not having any formal guitar training.  “My Dad would kind of just like engrave little ideas in my brain and then I would just work from there.  I would just kind of discover it and figure it out on my own.  [I’m] pretty much self taught. I still don’t have a teacher to this day.  I’m just learning as I go.”

As far as inspiration went, it wasn’t actually guitar players who fueled Nathan’s musical aspirations.  “I’m a little weird when it comes to that stuff,” he confesses. “I didn’t really idolize guitar players. I more idolized the bands that made me want to be in a band.  So it was like Blink 182, Good Charlotte… when I was in eighth grade and middle school. When I was younger, like in the 90’s, I loved Third Eye Blind, Counting Crows, Blues Traveler, Sugar Ray… all those great nineties rock bands.”

Nathan says it’s hard to narrow down favorites when asked who he is listening too right now.  “I love music questions!  Right now, it’s completely different.  I listen to a lot of Indie Rock, [and] Electronic. So we’ve got MGMT, Neon Trees, Young the Giant, The Naked and Famous, Robyn… a lot of European artists.  I love Mumford and Sons.  [There’s] a lot of good stuff.  I can go for days!”

YouTube Dance Forever

A couple of years after learning to play, Nathan started seeking out other local kids who had the same interests.  “It was really cool because I totally believe in fate and I believe that everything happens for a reason.  It was just like a weird sequence of events,” he exclaims regarding how the group ultimately came together.  “We were actually friends before all of this started.” 

“I remember the first day I met Zach was actually at band practice for a different band and he played bass,” he recalls.  “He really didn’t know what to play, he couldn’t really do anything. He took a few guitar lessons and stuff like that. I was a singer and I played guitar and Zach played bass in the band.  Pretty much that’s kind of how it really, really all started.”

“So Zach and I were playing pool parties,” he continues.  “We were just jamming.   We played battle of the bands at my high school and stuff like that.  We both had a mutual friend and that was Cameron.  He actually went to elementary school with me, middle school and high school and I didn’t even really know he existed until high school slash eighth grade. He was Zach’s friend.  Cameron played a little guitar but he wasn’t too serious with it and we needed a bass player.  I taught Cameron how to play bass because I play a little bass myself.  So that’s where Cameron came into play.”

“Like a week later, we had been wanting a drummer for so long, out of the blue, like the most random thing that could ever happen possible, Michael messaged us on Myspace, saying ‘Hey, do you guys need a drummer?’  He happened to just be bored that day. He liked playing music and he was a really good drummer.  I’m like ‘Yeah man. We would love to try you out.’ You know, like see how it all works in with us?  He sent us back videos of him playing drums to our songs and other songs of artists that I listened too.  He was really good and that was pretty much it.  I didn’t really have to see him play in person.  I don’t know. We’re the four most random group of kids, but we have so much in common at the same time.  It’s just the weirdest thing how it just works out.”

With all the group members in place, the four guys started practicing, writing songs and spreading the word about their new band.  “Even before we started playing shows, there was a lot of networking… social networking on Myspace when Myspace was at its peak.  I’d wake up at 5AM. Like, right before school I’d be adding friends on Myspace.  We’d be talking to fans. We’d like seriously do this every single day.”

In what would prove to be a very smart and fateful move, the guys decided to stand outside of a Jonas Brother’s movie showing and hand out flyers in hopes of attracting new fans.  One of the people who ended up with a flyer was a Disney casting agent who thought the group would be perfect for a Radio Disney competition called “Next Big Thing.”

It was a lucky break for the quartet, but one they had worked incredibly hard to achieve.  “It didn’t just happen,” Nathan points out.  “Before we were signed, for like a year and a half to two years, we were just doing it all on our own.  [We were] touring in a van, booking our own shows, coming up with our own merch ideas. Pretty much everything was a hundred percent us.  There are still a lot of things that we do to contribute now even though that we’re signed. We work even harder.  [It’s about] persistence, hard work and just being smart and trying to be marketable.  It’s like trying to think ahead of the game you know?”

Though they didn’t actually win the competition, Disney saw potential in this group of fun but serious musicians and threw a lot of support behind them.  Allstar Weekend was signed to Hollywood Records (a label under the Disney umbrella) and quickly became a staple and fan favorite on Radio Disney.  Their videos can be seen often on the Disney Channel and the group began touring fairly consistently. 

The band has released an EP called “Suddenly” featuring seven songs and a full length album called “Suddenly Yours.”  They are finishing up a second album which is scheduled (as of now) for a mid-summer release. From the get-go, the label has embraced the group’s songs and given them a lot of say and input into the music they are making.

“I think that’s the really cool thing about our whole situation is that we had good songs from the start. Hollywood Records noticed that and recognized that.  Even though we did lose the ‘Next Big Thing’ contest, we still got so much exposure.  People liked our songs and they were 100% us.  Hollywood Records gave us all the input possible when it comes to writing, developing our sound. It’s all us. We love hearing their input and everybody else’s’ contribution in some way.  There’s so much flexibility. They’re really great to us.”

YouTube It's Not Your Birthday

Nathan and the gang are really excited about the next album.  “The cool thing about it is it is still us.  Like if you heard it, you’d be like ‘Okay, that’s Allstar Weekend.’  We still have our signature synth sound referencing ‘Dance Forever’ and ‘It’s Not Your Birthday.’  The songs are more mature, knowing that we’re growing up.  We gotta talk about stronger concepts and write about stuff that’s relevant to who we are and what we’re doing.  We can’t be singing about some of the stuff that we sung about on the last record ‘Suddenly Yours.’  People would just think it’s fake.” 

“It’s more hip hop influenced,” he says, “It’s rap/hiphop… a little funk.  But it’s still got an electric/dance-y vibe to it.  It’s really cool. There are a lot of songs that Zach and I switch off on.”    

Soon, the guys in the band will be packing their suitcases and heading to Canada for several tour dates there and will continue touring in the United States through the summer.  Nathan says that rarely are two days on the road the same.  “It’s crazy!” he says. “Every day is different.  Most of the time, we are doing something.  We wake up really, really early.  Some of us exercise, we workout. We stretch, just kind of get ready for the day because there is so much going on.  Usually, in the morning, we’ll have a radio interview.  We’ll go there and talk to the station.  We’ll play for them. Fans will be there and we’ll sign autographs and take pictures.  That’s just the beginning of the day. Then we’ll go to the venue.  We’ll soundcheck, rehearse, do anything else that we need to do. We’ll warm up our vocals.  Play our show and then do a meet and greet. We meet every single fan after that show.  And then [we] pretty much do it all over again.”

“In-between that, there are so many other little things that are going on,” he continues.  “We’ll be doing interviews.  Try to be normal for just a little bit.  There’s just a little down time, where we try to stay grounded for like an hour or two and just kind of hang out. But most of the time, everything we do is fan oriented.” 

If their schedule permits, the guys will try to see the city they are visiting.  “We cruise around town. We usually don’t stay for more than a day or two.  We’ll go to a mall or [if there’s] some historical landmark we’ll go and check it out. Take pictures.  We just try to get out as much as we can.  It’s weird because when you’re touring, you don’t really see nature or grass at all. It’d just be road and the venue.  Right now, I’m in my backyard looking at my beautiful grass.  I’m just very happy.”

We asked Nathan what he takes from home to keep him from getting homesick.  “I have to take my IPOD because I just need my music.  There’s a blanket from my house that I take to be my little piece of home.  I have pictures of my family and stuff like that, just stuff that reminds me of home.  It’s not even about taking stuff; it’s about reaching out to some of my friends like ichatting. Seeing what they’re doing to kind of like, keeps me grounded in a way.  I send my family pictures every day of what I’m doing.”

When he’s not on the road or recording with Allstar Weekend, Nathan is relaxing, practicing or working on some other creative project.  “Honestly, I do a lot of Yoga.  I do as much relaxing as I can. I exercise.  I practice more than anything.  When I’m home, I always have to do something that’s musical.  I practice bass, piano and guitar like maybe 8 hours a day, if not even more.  I just stay up really and play.”

“I edit videos as well.  It sucks though because we haven’t been doing anything for a while, so I have nothing to really edit.  I edit a lot of the videos.  Anything that has to do with being creative and weird, I’m a part of. I go to the beach too and I play soccer. I’m always out.  I’m running errands, helping out around the house.  I’m just trying to make things easier for my Mom.”

One of the things that intrigues us most about this popular group is the amount of interaction they have with the fans.  The guys make videos, keep in constant contact via Facebook and Twitter and they don’t seem to rule anything as off limits.

“It’s the craziest thing,” Nathan says, sounding in awe of the dedication the Allstar Weekend fans have shown.  “Since day one, we’ve been doing meet and greets with fans.  Our fans in California… we know them.  We can probably name all of them by name.  It’s kind of scary how close we are. There have been times when we will go out.   We’ll just get food after every show.” 

“On the Internet now, with everyone else around the world, we try to post stuff on Facebook that fans can relate too. It’s all controlled by us.  Our label has nothing to do with it.  Part of our success with networking is that a lot of stuff we say is very relatable.  People understand it because it’s from us and it’s personal.   Instead of just posting stuff, if people comment, we will comment them back.   I read a lot of the stuff on You Tube.  I do Facebook. Camerson does Facebook.  Zach does Facebook.  We do Twitter.  We all kind of have like, our own thing that we’re good at it. So it’s not like chaotic.  We try to respond to everyone.  Especially on Twitter, negative feedback, positive feedback, you just respond and like respect their opinion. You just talk to them. We’re funny. We’ll do things that are a little outrageous, a little crazy, a little out there.”

“We’re trying to get more mainstream.  We’re kind of opening up more.  We’re great kids. We’re not about to go out and wild out and get crazy.  Fans know how crazy we are, with our You Tube videos.  We’ll post videos about meeting fans and being appreciative and saying thank you, shouting out or a happy holiday.  It’s just so important. Fans make like 40 or 50 percent of all your success.  If you’re not cool with your fans, those are the ones going to your shows, they’re buying your merch, and you’re just going to disappoint everybody in the end, knowing that everything you’re doing just wasn’t real.  We don’t want to give off that impression.”

“There was one time in L.A., where there was a group of fans, like about 15 that we know really, really well and we’re really close with… they bought us a star in the sky,” Nathan exclaims.  “There’s a star called Allstar Weekend.  I have the plaque and the picture of the constellation and where the star is in comparison to all the other stars.  That was one of the coolest things.  That was at Anaheim, House of Blues.”

YouTube A Different Side of Me

Who better to give us the dirt on the guys in the band than one of the guys in the band? Unfortunately, for the most part, Nathan seems to think that his band-mates are as cool as we think they are.   “These are like the three coolest guys you’ll ever meet,” he says when asked to describe his peers. 

“Michael, he’s like the class clown in high school. Probably the funniest kid I have ever met in my whole entire life.  [He’s] very, very, talented with music. He has a great ear. He’s a great drummer.  [He is a] really, really good friend and very respectful.”

“Cameron is like the kindest kid you’ll ever meet. He’s just like the nicest guy.  He has a million dollar personality.  He smiles a lot. He’ll say that he’s not good with girls, but he’s good with girls.  He’s like my best friend in the band.  We’re all good friends but he’s like the one I click with the most. I help him out with all of his lady problems and stuff like that.  He’s also very talented.”

“Zach,” he begins, searching for the right words.  “Zach is like… if I were to say that we were a family… I would be the Mom, Zach would the Dad.  Michael and Cameron would be like the siblings.  The three of us will get crazy sometimes and Zach will kind of be the one to kind of bring it all back.  Kind of lower our ADD down… even though we all have just horrible ADD.  Zach is very serious about everything. He’s very serious.  He’s very intense, very smart.  You know, cool intense. He’s just like always has his head on straight. Just like me, both of us are always working on music and stuff like that, we’re writing.  We do a lot of that. He’s also very talented.” 

“It’s so funny, we call him Casper,” says Nathan referring to the cartoon character also known as “The Friendly Ghost.”  There’s times we’re in a meet and greet and fans will come up and they’ll say something to him. He’ll totally ignore them because he didn’t hear them or he’s just like in the background.  It happens all the time. Just like in real life.  He’s just kind of quiet and soft spoken.” 

And there is one more fact about Zach that Nathan will reveal.  “He spills water on him pretty much every single day.  It’s either all over him or it’s on the ground.  He’s just the weirdest kid,” Nathan laughs. It’s all good-natured teasing.

Nathan will probably get some good natured teasing himself when he turns 20 on May 14.  He’s excited, not so much about his birthday, but because it’s also the beginning of the summer tour.  “We’ll be in Vermont playing a show but then we’re heading up to Canada,” he says about the big day.  “Nothing’s really planned.  I don’t know if anyone is going to plan something for me.  It’s no big deal.  It will be cool. I’ll be with some of the bands that we’re playing with and we know them really well so I’m sure we’ll go out and do something. 

The past couple of years have been full of milestones for Nathan and the gang. So what does he consider the highlights so far?  “I think the highlights were getting our managers Richard and Stefanie Reines. [The band] getting signed to Hollywood Records.  [Us] handing out flyers at the El Capitan Theater. [The band] doing our first headlining tour. Releasing our first CD in stores… which was amazing. I think for like every artist, the ultimate goal is to see their CD on a shelf.  Ultimately, everyone in the band can probably agree that that’s like the coolest thing.”

“And seeing our fan base growing!” he adds excitedly.  “I think it’s the craziest thing that we literally started out playing for five people. We played for like a sound guy.  We played for our family. Now we’ve sold out shows!  It’s been a gradual process but it’s been cool.”

Also cool are all of the events and happenings in the band’s immediate future.  “Well, obviously we’re releasing this new album,” says Nathan about what he is excited about these days.  “I think people are really going to get it.  I think we’re gonna get like a larger fan base.  I think more guys will be into it so I’m stoked about that.  I’m stoked to tour with Selena [Gomez] because she is AMAZING and her whole band’s awesome. Just going back on the road and playing new songs will be a good feeling.”

If you haven’t discovered Allstar Weekend yet, check them out on Itunes or You Tube and get to know this group a little better.  They’ll have you dancing in no time.  Call your radio station and ask to hear “Not Your Birthday (it’s also featured on the “Prom” soundtrack).  Most importantly, grab a bunch of friends and head to a show when they’re in a town near you. This is one cool party that you don’t want to miss this summer. If you see Nathan… tell him you read all about him here!