Set It Off (band)

Set It Off
Set It Off playing the 2013 Vans Warped Tour
Background information
Origin	Tampa, Florida
Genres	Pop punk, symphonic rock, alternative rock, orchestral pop, orchestral rock, pop rock
Years active	2008 (2008)–present
Labels	Equal Vision
Website	www.setitoffband.com
Members	Cody Carson Maxx Danziger Dan Clermont Zach DeWall Austin Kerr
Past members	Benji Panico James Blake Howell

Set It Off are an American pop punk/symphonic rock band based in Tampa, Florida. They gained a following through vocalist Cody Carson's YouTube Channel rockmaniac89^[1] and were subsequently signed by Equal Vision Records after releasing a string of successful extended plays. Out of the two studio albums they have released, both have charted on the U.S. Billboard 200; Cinematics (2012) peaked at 174 while Duality (2014) peaked at 86.

History

Formation (2008)

Cody Carson met Dan Clermont in high school when the two were in the marching band together and became friends. Austin Kerr and Zach Dewall were in a band together prior to the formation of Set It Off. They played local shows with the band that Carson was in at the time. Then, Carson left for Ohio to attend the Oberlin Conservatory of Music as a classical clarinet student. In his first year, after exchanging a series of YouTube videos with him, Carson asked All Time Low's frontman Alex Gaskarth if he could sing Coffee Shop Soundtrack on stage at their upcoming concert at the Cleveland House Of Blues via a YouTube video,^[2] to which Gaskarth agreed.^[3] That performance helped Carson confirm his dream of starting a rock band,^[4][5] and not long after Carson dropped out of college and used his school money to come back and start up the band. Dewall and Kerr were amongst the first to follow. Dan Clermont also joined the band. James was the band's original drummer but left and was replaced by Blake Howell on drums. Blake soon left the band and was replaced by Benji Panic (Benjamin Panico) on drums; however, they have since parted ways so that Ben could pursue his GED and later to start his own photography studio. The current drummer for the band, whom they found through a mutual friend (Blake), is Maxx Danziger.

Early releases (2008–2009)

Set It Off released their first EP, Baby, You Don't Tripajaharda on October 31, 2008.

Set It Off self-released their EP,^[6]Calm Before the Storm,^[7] on May 16, 2009.

Signing to Equal Vision Records and re-release of Horrible Kids (2011)

On July 19, 2011 the band announced their signing to ^[8]Equal Vision Records^[9] They also announced that through Equal Vision Records they would be rereleasing a remastered version of their EP Horrible Kids on August 30, 2011. Carson states that,^[8]"Our main inspiration in writing this album was derived from personal experiences growing up. I loved being able to turn to songs that I could personally relate to. I want to provide that same kind of coping source for people. I want people to be able to turn on Horrible Kids and pick a song that pinpoints exactly what they're going through and allows them to vent through it.”^[9] After being released, the album ^[10] debuted in the top 100 Alternative Albums on iTunes^[11]

Debut full-length album, Cinematics (2012)

In July 2012, Set It Off announced the release of their debut full-length album,^[12]Cinematics,^[13] to be released September 18, 2012.

The band partnered with VH1 Save the Music Foundation and donated $1 of every album sold before September 23 to help support music programs in schools. The band also added a bonus to the donation, to create a total of $5000, if they reached their goal of No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. Equal Vision Records agreed to match the band’s donation amount, doubling the total amount for the organization.

"We're honored to be working with VH1 Save The Music. If it wasn’t for the music education program in my high school, Set It Off would not exist,” states founding member and frontman Cody Carson. “I would not have met our guitarist, Dan Clermont, I wouldn’t have been directed toward Oberlin Music Conservatory, and I wouldn’t end up with even half of the musical knowledge I possess now. More people need to be able to experience the unity, leadership skills, and work ethic taught by being involved in music education programs in schools. Set It Off strongly endorses this organization for these, among many other, reasons. We’re so excited to raise money for them and help spread the word about the importance of music education.”^[14]

The album debuted at the No. 174 position on the Billboard 200, No. 4 on the Top Heatseekers, and No. 38 on the Independent Albums chart.

In October 2013, Fearless Records released the album Punk Goes Christmas which featured an original Set It Off song, "This Christmas (I'll Burn It To the Ground)".

Music videos

Set It Off has seven music videos released for the songs "Pages and Paragraphs",^[15] "Hush Hush",^[16] "@reply",^[17][18] "Horrible Kids",^[19][20] "Breathe In, Breathe Out", "Swan Song",^[21] "Why Worry",^[22] "Ancient History",^[22] "Bleak December" ^[23] and "Partners In Crime".^[24] Official lyric videos have also been released for "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", "Swan Song" and "Kill the Lights".

Touring

Set It Off is primarily a touring band and fill most of their year with traveling and putting on shows to further expand their fanbase, hoping to reach out to more people through their music. The band has currently played in over ^[25] 19 tours.^[26] Set It Off was also accompanied on tour by their merchandise manager Marshall Travers, and tour manager, Andrew Cramb. Cramb attended private school with several members of the band and had been on tour with the band since 2009. However, Cramb backed down from this position after graduating college. In 2013, Set It Off toured Europe with Yellowcard. In that same year, Set It Off supported Tonight Alive on their UK tour in October, along with Decade. The band played Warped Tour 2013 from 6/15-7/3, 7/6-8/4. They played with Candy Hearts, State Champs, William Beckett, and We Are The In Crowd during WATIC's Reunion Tour in spring of 2014. They also co-headlined the Come Alive Tour with Our Last Night, featuring Stages & Stereos and Heartist. They also supported Black Veil Brides and Falling In Reverse on the Black Mass Tour. Beginning in February, 2015, Set It Off began their first USA headliner being The Glamour Kills Spring Break Tour with support from Against The Current, As It Is, and Roam. The band will be playing the entirety of the 2015 Vans Warped Tour. They also toured on the Rise of the Runaways Tour (January and February 2015) through various continents with Crown the Empire and Alive Like Me. Set It off will begin a UK/Europe tour^[27] in May of 2015, with stops in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Duality (2014)

On January 2, 2014, Equal Vision Records released a video on their YouTube page, announcing that Set It Off would be recording a new album with John Feldmann, which would be released October 14, 2014.

The band recorded the album in Los Angeles with several producers, including Brandon Paddock, Tommy English and Matt Appleton.^[28] They filmed a music video for "Why Worry" in Manhattan on August 21 using fans as extras. In August it was announced that the band will be supporting Black Veil Brides on their headline tour across America throughout October and November dubbed "The Blackmass" and will also be supported by Falling In Reverse and Drama Club.^[29] They will be releasing their first single off of this album on September 9.

2014 also saw Set It Off featured on Fearless Records' Punk Goes Pop 6, on which the band covered Ariana Grande's "Problem."

Merch guy Marshall "Merchall" Traver became part of Set It Off's ancient history in March 2015 as he left the band mid-tour to pursue his own musical interests, releasing his debut single "Killer".

Musical style and influences

In the beginnings of the band, Set It Off fit more into a synth pop punk genre. Now the band has matured and define themselves as orchestral pop punk, however the majority of the orchestral string sounds are programmed and sequenced synthesizers added during production rather than traditionally recorded acoustic instruments. Kerrang! magazine has also summarised the band's genre as pop rock.^[30] The band's influences include Fall Out Boy, Four Year Strong, My Chemical Romance, All Time Low, New Found Glory, A Day to Remember, Forever the Sickest Kids, Relient K, *Nsync, Destiny's Child and We the Kings.

Band members

Current Cody Carson – lead vocals, keyboards (2008–present) Dan Clermont – lead guitar, backing vocals (2008–present) Zach DeWall – rhythm guitar (2008–present) Austin Kerr – bass (2008–present) Maxx Danziger – drums (2010–present)

Former Blake Howell – drums (2008) Benji Panico – drums (2009–2010)

Discography

Studio albums Cinematics (2012) Duality (2014)

EPs Baby, You Don't Tripajaharda (2008) Calm Before the Storm (2009) Horrible Kids (2011)

References

External links

• http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=2327662
• http://www.altpress.com/aptv/video/set_it_off_horrible_kids_video/
• http://www.altpress.com/aptv/video/premiere_set_it_off_ill_sleep_when_im_dead/
• http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/in_the_studio_set_it_off/
• http://www.underthegunreview.net/2011/07/19/set-it-off-sign-to-equal-vision-release-music-video/
• http://stitchedsound.com/?p=3511
• http://equalvision.com/news/show/668
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4-bMbkBwYo
• http://equalvision.com/news/show/761
• http://cltampa.com/tampa/cody-carson-on-his-buzzed-about-band-set-it-off/Content?oid=2307423#.UCK09aDhfpw
• http://www.vevo.com/watch/set-it-off/why-worry/US3X51490024
• http://www.vevo.com/watch/set-it-off/ancient-history/US3X51590002
• http://www.vevo.com/watch/set-it-off/Bleak-December-(Lyric-Video)/US3X51490027