| Parachute | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Sparky's Flaw |
| Origin | Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Genres | Alternative rock, blue-eyed soul, pop rock, indie rock |
| Years active | 2008-present |
| Labels | Mercury, Island |
| Website | http://www.weareparachute.com/ |
| Members | |
| Will Anderson (vocals, guitar, keyboard) Johnny Stubblefield (drums) Alex Hargrave (bass) Kit French (saxophone, keyboard, vocals) Nate McFarland (guitar, vocals) |
|
| Past members | |
| Dave Glover (guitar) Peter De Jong (guitar) Eric Prum (piano) |
|
Parachute is a rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia.[1] The members graduated from college in May 2008 and since then have been touring and promoting their debut album Losing Sleep and sophomore album The Way It Was full-time.
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Originally named "Sparky's Flaw", the band changed its name to "Parachute" in 2008. Since their graduation from college, Parachute has been touring with artists such as O.A.R., Switchfoot, Duffy, Matt Nathanson, Michelle Branch, Jon McLaughlin, and The Goo Goo Dolls As a part of their first major tour following the release of Losing Sleep in the summer of 2009, they toured with artists such as 3 Doors Down, The Script,[2] Secondhand Serenade and Kelly Clarkson.[3]
Their songs "She is Love" and "Under Control" were used on Nivea's national skincare TV commercials. As part of the campaign, Parachute shared the Nivea Countdown Stage with the Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift in front of over one million people in Times Square for New Year's Eve in 2008.
Parachute's debut album Losing Sleep became available in stores and online on May 19, 2009. Produced by Chris Keup, John Shanks, and John Fields, Losing Sleep highlights unabashed emotional affairs. On May 12, Losing Sleep was released exclusively on iTunes, including an additional bonus track, "Strange World". The second single off of the album, "Under Control", was also highlighted as the Free iTunes Single of the Week. A deluxe edition of the album was released on August 4, 2009.[4] The song "Back Again" is featured on the video game Band Hero which was released on November 3, 2009.
On June 15, 2009, Will Anderson and Kit French appeared as Parachute on the 20th episode of "Live From Daryl's House", the monthly internet concert from Daryl Hall. They performed four songs from their debut album ("All That I Am", "She Is Love", "Under Control" and "She") as well as the Hall & Oates tracks "Say It Isn't So" and "It's A Laugh".[5]
On October 17, 2009, Parachute performed at the 13th Annual Bite of Las Vegas food and musical festival alongside Katharine McPhee, Uncle Kracker, Blue October, and Train.[6] The Bite of Las Vegas is a festival presented by Las Vegas' Mix 94.1 radio station and features 45 of Las Vegas' restaurants, including Serendipity 3, Pick Up Stix, Panda Express and more.
Parachute toured North America alongside Kelly Clarkson between October and December 2009, opening on October 6 in New York City at the Hammerstein Ballroom and making stops in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Seattle.[7] In January 2010, Parachute embarked on another three-week string of performances, sharing the stage with alt-rock band SafetySuit.
From February to March 2010, Parachute rejoined Clarkson for the European leg of her 'All I Ever Wanted Tour', where they performed for the first time all over the United Kingdom, Germany, as well as in The Netherlands and Denmark. Their experience abroad prompted Parachute to sign on for more dates in the U.K later on that May.[8]
In the Fall of 2010 the band headlined U.S. tour with singer/songwriter Joe Brooks and pop rock outfit Hot Chelle Rae. The band played many songs from their upcoming album on tour, as well as favorites from the Losing Sleep album. Parachute also held a contest in which winners were given an exclusive advance listen of two new songs from their new album before each show.
Spring 2011, Parachute is on tour and opening for the Plain White T's. The band also announced on their official website that they would be touring with Michelle Branch and the Goo Goo Dolls throughout the summer of 2011.[9]
October/November 2011: Parachute is touring with Courrier and Kate Voegele all over the United States, plus a date in Canada. The band recently tacked on two North Carolina shows to the end of the tour.[10]
May 2010 also marked the band's television debut, when they appeared on CBS's The Early Show to play "She Is Love" and "Under Control". They later performed on ABC's Good Morning America and Jimmy Kimmel Live as well. Their music has also been featured in such television programs as One Tree Hill, 90210 and Vampire Diaries.
To promote the release of "The Way It Was" the band appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on May 19, 2011
In 2010, Parachute wrote and recorded their second album, titled The Way It Was. The band tested new songs "What I Know", "White Dress", "Halfway" "Square One" "Break My Heart for Me" and "Something to Believe in (Jeremiah)" during their 2010 fall tour. On December 4, 2010 Parachute released a viral video on ESPN and ABC for "Something to Believe in (Jeremiah)".
Leading up to the release of The Way It Was Parachute released the singles "Kiss Me Slowly" co-written by Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum, "You and Me" exclusively on iTunes and "Halfway" on Amazon. Released May 17, 2011, "The Way It Was" was a featured New Release on iTunes and the single "What I Know" was a free track available for exclusive download for release week.
(as Sparky's Flaw)
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Live From The Recording Studio |
| 2005 | One Small Step |
| 2007 | Sparky's Flaw EP |
| Year | Single | Hot 100 | Adult Pop songs | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "She Is Love" | 66 | 14 | Losing Sleep |
| "Under Control" | — | 28 | ||
| 2011 | "Something to Believe In" | — | 14 | The Way It Was |
| "Kiss Me Slowly" | 111 | 20 | ||
| "You and Me" | — | — | ||
| "What I Know" | — | — |
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