A Change of Pace
Encyclopedia
A Change of Pace was a five piece post hardcore and pop punk
band from Peoria
, Arizona
. The band was on both the 2005 and 2006 Warped Tour
s.
). In 2003, after a few years of jamming and playing small local shows, bassist Johnny Abdullah and guitarist Adam Rodgers joined the band. From there they were discovered by manager Jorge Hernandez, and within a few months they had a deal with Immortal Records
and released their EP Change Is The Only Constant
.
In 2005 the band released their first full-length album, An Offer You Can't Refuse
, and landed a spot on the Vans Warped Tour
. Just a year after their first album, on August 15 A Change of Pace released their second record, Prepare The Masses
. The band also added a fifth member to the band, Dan Parker (previously in Don't Let Go).
On June 1, 2008 the band announced that they had parted ways with former vocalist Torry Jasper, and announced a new lead singer, Micah Bentley. They also announced the release of their EP, Just No Better Way
. With new singer Micah Bentley they have adopted a lighter tone to their music, contrasting drastically with their previous singer Torry Jasper who screamed vocals in the older material.
The new album, entitled It Could Be Worse was released on February 22. The track list is as follows:
In 2011, Micah Bentley married Ashley Bentley. Bentley currently lives with his wife in Peoria, Arizona where he continues to write music for his new project.
This new project is called "Micah and His Friend".
such as the Beatles
, to metal
bands such Black Sabbath
and Led Zeppelin
and to the piano pop/rock of artists such as Five for Fighting
and Ben Folds
. The band however cites their major influence as alternative rock
band Third Eye Blind
. They have also been noted by AllMusic reviewer Jo-Ann Greene as showing: "the sparkle of U2
, the attitude of Green Day
, a stinging arena rock
-styled lead guitar solo, and a splash of new wave synth, deftly delivered by Dave Holdredge."
AllMusic commented on how all members of the band shared a love for pop punk
and Third Eye Blind
leading to A Change of Pace's style being described as "explosive, pop-edged alternative rock". Reviews have cited them as showing influence from a variety of rock genres including: pop punk
, alternative rock
, post-hardcore
, screamo
, melodic hardcore
, pop rock
, hard rock
, punk rock
and indie rock
.
that after 10 years, A Change of Pace was calling it quits. Their last show, "A Change of Pace Farewell Show", took place on April 22, at The Clubhouse in Tempe
. Opening bands included Greeley Estates
, Desole, It's Like Love, and In It for Storms.
Now, the bad has Created a new band called, Micah and His Friend.
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
band from Peoria
Peoria, Arizona
Peoria is a city in Maricopa and Yavapai counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. Located primarily in Maricopa County, it is a major suburb of Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau releases, the population of the city is 154,065. Peoria is currently the sixth largest city in Arizona for land...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. The band was on both the 2005 and 2006 Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
s.
Biography
A Change of Pace formed in 2001 when singer Torry Jasper and drummer Jonathan Kelly began playing together after meeting in a high school Learning Support Class (while attending Centennial High SchoolCentennial High School (Peoria, Arizona)
-Academics:Centennial continues to have a tradition of excellence in academics. As an excelling school in school years 2005–2008, CeHS continuously encourages the students to be the best they can be in all life areas. One of the greatest assets is the staff that works daily with the...
). In 2003, after a few years of jamming and playing small local shows, bassist Johnny Abdullah and guitarist Adam Rodgers joined the band. From there they were discovered by manager Jorge Hernandez, and within a few months they had a deal with Immortal Records
Immortal Records
Immortal Records is an independent record label out of Los Angeles, California. Founded by Happy Walters in 1994, the label had helped launched the careers of such influential acts as Korn, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Incubus over the years. The label had also released soundtracks, including Judgment...
and released their EP Change Is The Only Constant
Change Is the Only Constant
Change Is the Only Constant is the first EP by pop punk band A Change of Pace, released in 2003.-Track listing:#"Queen of Hearts" – 4:35#"Chippie" – 3:01#"Goodbye For Now" – 5:12#"Pearl Summer" – 3:50#"Sell Out" – 4:32#"A Vague Memory" – 4:58...
.
In 2005 the band released their first full-length album, An Offer You Can't Refuse
An Offer You Can't Refuse
An Offer You Can't Refuse is the debut full-length album released by A Change of Pace on March 22, 2005. The album was recorded while the members of the band were still in high school. There was only one single released from this album, "Loose Lips Sink Ships". A few of the tracks that appear on...
, and landed a spot on the Vans Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
. Just a year after their first album, on August 15 A Change of Pace released their second record, Prepare The Masses
Prepare The Masses
Prepare the Masses is the second album by pop punk band A Change of Pace. It was released on the August 15, 2006. The album doesn't contain screaming lyrics as in the previous album, An Offer You Can't Refuse, and was noted to contain "Arena-riffs" when reviewed by AllMusic and Sputnik.-Track...
. The band also added a fifth member to the band, Dan Parker (previously in Don't Let Go).
On June 1, 2008 the band announced that they had parted ways with former vocalist Torry Jasper, and announced a new lead singer, Micah Bentley. They also announced the release of their EP, Just No Better Way
Just No Better Way
Just No Better Way is the second EP released by pop punk band A Change of Pace. It is the first album to include the vocals of new singer, Micah Bentley. The music on this album is a contrast to the style under former singer Torry Jasper, with little of the band's old melodic hardcore sound...
. With new singer Micah Bentley they have adopted a lighter tone to their music, contrasting drastically with their previous singer Torry Jasper who screamed vocals in the older material.
The new album, entitled It Could Be Worse was released on February 22. The track list is as follows:
In 2011, Micah Bentley married Ashley Bentley. Bentley currently lives with his wife in Peoria, Arizona where he continues to write music for his new project.
This new project is called "Micah and His Friend".
Style and influences
A Change of Pace's music is drawn from a number of different bands, ranging from pop bandsPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
such as the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, to metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands such Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and to the piano pop/rock of artists such as Five for Fighting
Five for Fighting
Five for Fighting is the stage name of American singer-songwriter John Ondrasik. He is best known for his piano-based rock, such as the Top 40 songs "Superman " , "100 Years" , and "The Riddle" .-Early years:...
and Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
. The band however cites their major influence as alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...
. They have also been noted by AllMusic reviewer Jo-Ann Greene as showing: "the sparkle of U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, the attitude of Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, a stinging arena rock
Arena rock
Arena rock is a term used to describe rock music that utilised large arena venues, particularly sports venues, for concerts or series of concerts linked in tours...
-styled lead guitar solo, and a splash of new wave synth, deftly delivered by Dave Holdredge."
AllMusic commented on how all members of the band shared a love for pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
and Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...
leading to A Change of Pace's style being described as "explosive, pop-edged alternative rock". Reviews have cited them as showing influence from a variety of rock genres including: pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
, alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
, screamo
Screamo
Screamo, though used loosely to generally describe music that features screamed vocals, is actually a musical subgenre of hardcore punk which predominantly evolved from emo, among other genres, in the early 1990s...
, melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on vocal melody. The genre is commonly defined with fast hardcore drum beats, complex guitar riffs and melodic singing with occasional screaming and shouting.-History:...
, pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
, hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
.
Breakup
On March 13, 2011, drummer Jon Kelley announced via FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
that after 10 years, A Change of Pace was calling it quits. Their last show, "A Change of Pace Farewell Show", took place on April 22, at The Clubhouse in Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
. Opening bands included Greeley Estates
Greeley Estates
Greeley Estates is an American metalcore band from Phoenix, Arizona. Formed in 2002, the band has released five full-length studio albums and one EP...
, Desole, It's Like Love, and In It for Storms.
Now, the bad has Created a new band called, Micah and His Friend.
Band members
Former- Torry Jasper: lead vocals (2001–2008)
- Jonathan Kelley: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2001–2011) - Johnny Abdullah: bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals (2001–2011) - Adam Rodgers: lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(2001–2011) - Dan Parker: guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals (2006–2011) - Micah Bentley: lead vocals (2008–2011)
Studio albums
- An Offer You Can't RefuseAn Offer You Can't RefuseAn Offer You Can't Refuse is the debut full-length album released by A Change of Pace on March 22, 2005. The album was recorded while the members of the band were still in high school. There was only one single released from this album, "Loose Lips Sink Ships". A few of the tracks that appear on...
(2005) - Prepare the MassesPrepare The MassesPrepare the Masses is the second album by pop punk band A Change of Pace. It was released on the August 15, 2006. The album doesn't contain screaming lyrics as in the previous album, An Offer You Can't Refuse, and was noted to contain "Arena-riffs" when reviewed by AllMusic and Sputnik.-Track...
(2006) U.S. #156 - It Could Be Worse (2011)
EPs
- Change Is the Only ConstantChange Is the Only ConstantChange Is the Only Constant is the first EP by pop punk band A Change of Pace, released in 2003.-Track listing:#"Queen of Hearts" – 4:35#"Chippie" – 3:01#"Goodbye For Now" – 5:12#"Pearl Summer" – 3:50#"Sell Out" – 4:32#"A Vague Memory" – 4:58...
(2003) - Just No Better WayJust No Better WayJust No Better Way is the second EP released by pop punk band A Change of Pace. It is the first album to include the vocals of new singer, Micah Bentley. The music on this album is a contrast to the style under former singer Torry Jasper, with little of the band's old melodic hardcore sound...
(2008) - In This Together (2009)
Compilations
- Masters of Horror Soundtrack (2005)
- A Santa Cause: It's a Punk Rock Christmas (2006)
- Rockin' Romance (Summer Girls - LFO Cover) (2009)
External links
- Official website
- [ A Change of Pace] at Allmusic
- A Change of Pace on PurevolumePureVolumePureVolume was the first independently run website of its type, allowing for the upload and stream of music files. It was created in 2003 by Jennifer Welch , in conjunction with the Unborn Media team; Brett Woitunski, Nate Hudson, and Mitchell Pavao; all from the University of...