J-14 is scouting out the hottest bands around... and this week's pick is Paradise Fears.
Here are five things you need to know about Paradise Fears who's gearing up to hit the road on The Resolution Tour with Action Item this January and February!
1. South Dakota's pop-rockers Paradise Fears consists of lead vocalist Sam Miller, guitarist and vocalist Cole Andre, drummer Lucas Zimmerman, guitarist Jordan Merrigan, keyboardist Michael Walker, and bassist Marcus Sand, all who grew up together. What inspired them to make a band? "We were bored and loved Taking Back Sunday," Sam tells J-14. "We just started playing music together and it sort of just evolved from there."
2. Do they look familiar? That may be because they've been on the pop-rock tour circuit for the past few years! They have opened for the likes of The Cab, The Summer Set, The Ready Set, and even All Time Low -- who were one of the first bands to put them on a lineup after they had followed them around, giving out CDs and meeting fans at shows.
3. Originally, the band had been called Paradise Fears The Turtle. "I wish I had a reason for it but I don't attempt to understand the 15-year-old mind of myself," Sam tells J-14. "Then we were like, 'wait, no, that's dumb. People are going to think we're like a Grateful Dead or a jam band. So we dropped 'The Turtle' and became Paradise Fears."