Just Surrender
Encyclopedia
Just Surrender was a rock band
from Dover Plains, New York
, formerly known as A Second Chance. Just Surrender was formed by three high school friends Jason Maffucci, Andrew Meunier, and Steve Miller. Vocalist/guitarist Dan Simons, formerly of "The Record Collection," joined the original three members; the group was a four-piece until 2008. The band is known for the up-beat mood in their music, and for not having a lead vocalist, but rather having two vocalists who "share the spotlight." The group has since released three studio albums and one EP before disbanding.
, which was released by EastWest Records subsidiary Broken English in 2005. Recording took place at New York's Nada Recording Studios with producer John Naclerio. The band and their debut album appeared on MTV
's You Heard It Here First. In reviewing the album, music critic Kate Lohnes wrote, "Overall, Just Surrender has panache. There's talent backing this heartfelt, although slightly unoriginal, release." Critic Christopher Felton described the album as "unfortunately nothing more than a half-decent attempt at copying the work of far more superior bands".
Just Surrender has toured with Autopilot Off
, Bayside
, My American Heart
, TheStart
, Cartel
, Hawthorne Heights
, Matchbook Romance
, The Early November
, Armor for Sleep
, The Classic Crime
, The Audition
, All Time Low
, Mayday Parade
, Every Avenue
, Set Your Goals
, Powerspace
, Bowling for Soup
, We The Kings
, Metro Station
.
In 2005, Andrew Meunier left the band, and was replaced by Alex Haycraft. As of March 7, 2008, original guitarist, Andrew Meunier returned to the band. The band sent in a statement to AbsolutePunk.net
that reads:
"Just Surrender fans may have noticed on recent tours that original guitarist Andy Meunier has returned to the band. Alex Haycraft (formerly of Park
) has moved over to bass."
page on July 1, 2007. The song is from the album We're In Like Sin
, released August 21, 2007. In reviewing the album, AbsolutePunk.net
wrote, "Though not necessarily bigger, and far from innovative, We’re In Like Sin is a worthy follow-up." Wonka Vision called it a "pop-punk" "guilty pleasure".
After the addition and returning from the UK they wrote and recorded for an EP titled Stronger Now that was released July 9, 2009. The EP was only made available at Warped Tour however, until released with iTunes
on August 12. Stronger Now is significantly heavier than their previous albums and has been described as post-hardcore
.
In November 2009, the band joined Hawthorne Heights
for their Never Sleep Again tour.
With another recent lineup change, Alex Haycraft and Andy Meunier left the band. Kyle Shellhammer (formerly of The High Court
) became the band's bassist, with Jolly Ubriaco filling the position of lead guitarist.
On June 10, 2010 the band released a statement via their Facebook page stating that Phoenix would now be released June 22, 2010 through iTunes, and would be released through retail on July 13, 2010. "Take Me Home", the bands next single, will be released June 15 through iTunes as scheduled. Just Surrender is currently touring with Hit The Lights, and The Maine
on the Zumiez Couch Tour. The album was released and received positive critique.
There was a rumor that after their most recent tour, Just Surrender would be going on indefinite hiatus. That rumor has been disputed by the band members' Facebook posts. It is still unclear, however, if the band will continue producing new music. The band posted on facebook:
Former
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
from Dover Plains, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, formerly known as A Second Chance. Just Surrender was formed by three high school friends Jason Maffucci, Andrew Meunier, and Steve Miller. Vocalist/guitarist Dan Simons, formerly of "The Record Collection," joined the original three members; the group was a four-piece until 2008. The band is known for the up-beat mood in their music, and for not having a lead vocalist, but rather having two vocalists who "share the spotlight." The group has since released three studio albums and one EP before disbanding.
Origin and If These Streets Could Talk (2003-2005)
Just Surrender was formed in 2003 while the members were still attending high school. Just Surrender's first compilation was a 4 song EP. Many of the songs written for the EP were re-recorded for their first full album, If These Streets Could TalkIf These Streets Could Talk
If These Streets Could Talk is the debut album from Just Surrender. The artwork was done by haymakerprint.com. The band recorded two videos from this album, "Tell Me Everything" and "I Can Barely Breathe". This is their first CD on their label, Broken English Records. The album was produced by John...
, which was released by EastWest Records subsidiary Broken English in 2005. Recording took place at New York's Nada Recording Studios with producer John Naclerio. The band and their debut album appeared on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's You Heard It Here First. In reviewing the album, music critic Kate Lohnes wrote, "Overall, Just Surrender has panache. There's talent backing this heartfelt, although slightly unoriginal, release." Critic Christopher Felton described the album as "unfortunately nothing more than a half-decent attempt at copying the work of far more superior bands".
Touring and increased popularity (2005-2007)
The band quickly became popular on the music site PureVolume; they received more than 400,000 plays in a matter of months.Just Surrender has toured with Autopilot Off
Autopilot Off
Autopilot Off is a punk rock band from Orange County, New York composed of Chris Hughes , Chris Johnson , Phil Robinson and Rob Kucharek ....
, Bayside
Bayside (band)
Bayside is an American punk rock band from Queens which formed in the winter of 2000. The band has released five full length albums since signing to Victory Records...
, My American Heart
My American Heart
My American Heart was a rock band from San Diego, California. The band's original name was No Way Out, which consisted of Larry Soliman on vocals, Jesse Barrera on bass guitar, Clint Delgado and Jeremy Mendez on guitar, and Steven Oira on Drums...
, TheStart
TheSTART
TheStart is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. Their current lineup includes Aimee Echo, Jamie Miller, Lance Webber and Chelsea Davis.- Early history and Shakedown! :...
, Cartel
Cartel (band)
Cartel is a American pop rock band from Conyers, Georgia that formed in 2003. The band is best known for their single "Honestly", featured on their 2005 debut album Chroma, and for their 2007 appearance on MTV's Band in a Bubble....
, Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Their line-up currently consists of lead-singer and rhythm guitarist JT Woodruff, lead-guitarist and vocalist Micah Carli, bassist and backing vocalist Matt Ridenour, and drummer Eron Bucciarelli...
, Matchbook Romance
Matchbook Romance
Matchbook Romance was an American rock band from Poughkeepsie, New York and was formed in 1997.were signed to Epitaph Records. They released two full length albums and one EP...
, The Early November
The Early November
The Early November is an American rock band from Hammonton, New Jersey. The group formed in 1999 and signed with Drive-Thru Records in 2002. , they have released two EPs , as well as two full-length albums...
, Armor for Sleep
Armor for Sleep
Armor for Sleep was an American rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001 and disbanded in 2009. The final lineup consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Ben Jorgensen, lead guitarist PJ DeCicco, bassist Anthony DiIonno and drummer Nash Breen....
, The Classic Crime
The Classic Crime
The Classic Crime is an Alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band consists of Matt MacDonald , Alan Clark , Robert "Cheeze" Negrin , and Paul "Skip" Erickson . It was announced in November 2011 that Justin DuQue was leaving the band.-Background:Their debut album Albatross was...
, The Audition
The Audition (band)
The Audition is a pop/rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band is composed of singer Danny Stevens, drummer Ryan O'Connor, guitarists Jimmy Lopez and Timmy Klepek and bassist Joe Lussa and are based in Detroit, Michigan. The band's first release was a six track EP entitled All In Your Head...
, All Time Low
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American pop punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 2003.The band consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alexander Gaskarth, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Jack Barakat, bassist and backing vocalist Zachary Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson...
, Mayday Parade
Mayday Parade
Mayday Parade is an American rock band from Tallahassee, Florida. The band formed in 2005 when members of popular local Tallahassee bands Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment converged in 2006. Their debut EP Tales Told by Dead Friends was released in 2006, and sold over 20,000 copies without any...
, Every Avenue
Every Avenue
-History:Every Avenue formed in Marysville, Michigan in 2003. Early on, they changed lead singers, and the former lead singer James Beesley later became the group's tour manager, and is currently working with former drummer Mike Govaere. They self-released two EPs in 2004 and 2006 before signing to...
, Set Your Goals
Set Your Goals (band)
Set Your Goals is an American Pop-Punk band from Walnut Creek, CA , formed in 2004. Their musical style typically employs a combination of pop punk and melodic hardcore...
, Powerspace
Powerspace
Powerspace was a five-piece power pop band from Chicago, Illinois. They are signed to Fueled by Ramen. The band released their debut album, The Kicks of Passion produced by Marc McClusky, on July 31, 2007. Drummer Kevin Kane announced the band's break up on February 17, 2010.-History:The band first...
, Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994...
, We The Kings
We the Kings
We the Kings is an American powerpop band formed in 2005 from Bradenton, Florida, currently signed to record label S-Curve Records. The group released their self-titled full-length debut album in 2007, which peaked at No. 151 on the Billboard 200. Their second full-length album, Smile Kid, was...
, Metro Station
Metro station
A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
.
In 2005, Andrew Meunier left the band, and was replaced by Alex Haycraft. As of March 7, 2008, original guitarist, Andrew Meunier returned to the band. The band sent in a statement to AbsolutePunk.net
AbsolutePunk.net
AbsolutePunk is a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate . The website mainly focuses on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it has been known to feature artists who have eventually achieved crossover success, including Fall...
that reads:
"Just Surrender fans may have noticed on recent tours that original guitarist Andy Meunier has returned to the band. Alex Haycraft (formerly of Park
Park (band)
-Line-up:*Ladd Mitchell: vocals, guitar*Aaron Bickel: guitar*Alex Haycraft: Bass*Miles Logan: drums-Biography:Park is from Springfield, Illinois. They began in 1996 with Justin Valenti, Eric Lipe and Jon Heupel. After three shows as a trio Park played with one of Ladd Mitchell's former bands and...
) has moved over to bass."
We're In Like Sin and Stronger Now EP (2007-2009)
Just Surrender released the song "Body Language and Bad Habits" on their MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page on July 1, 2007. The song is from the album We're In Like Sin
We're in Like Sin
We're In Like Sin is the second album from Just Surrender. The first single for this album is "Your Life And Mine". This is their second CD on their label, Broken English Records...
, released August 21, 2007. In reviewing the album, AbsolutePunk.net
AbsolutePunk.net
AbsolutePunk is a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate . The website mainly focuses on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it has been known to feature artists who have eventually achieved crossover success, including Fall...
wrote, "Though not necessarily bigger, and far from innovative, We’re In Like Sin is a worthy follow-up." Wonka Vision called it a "pop-punk" "guilty pleasure".
After the addition and returning from the UK they wrote and recorded for an EP titled Stronger Now that was released July 9, 2009. The EP was only made available at Warped Tour however, until released with iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on August 12. Stronger Now is significantly heavier than their previous albums and has been described as 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...
.
In November 2009, the band joined Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Their line-up currently consists of lead-singer and rhythm guitarist JT Woodruff, lead-guitarist and vocalist Micah Carli, bassist and backing vocalist Matt Ridenour, and drummer Eron Bucciarelli...
for their Never Sleep Again tour.
With another recent lineup change, Alex Haycraft and Andy Meunier left the band. Kyle Shellhammer (formerly of The High Court
The High Court
The High Court was an American pop punk band from Mount Holly Township, New Jersey. They released one full studio album, Puppet Strings in 2007, before disbanding in June 2008.-History:...
) became the band's bassist, with Jolly Ubriaco filling the position of lead guitarist.
Phoenix and rumored indefinite hiatus (2010-2011)
On June 22, 2010, Just Surrender released their third full-length album called Phoenix. Two tracks, "Burning Up (Acoustic)" and "On My Own" have been released. It contains 12 tracks, including two previously released on the Stronger Now EP: the songs "Crazy", and "Stronger Now".On June 10, 2010 the band released a statement via their Facebook page stating that Phoenix would now be released June 22, 2010 through iTunes, and would be released through retail on July 13, 2010. "Take Me Home", the bands next single, will be released June 15 through iTunes as scheduled. Just Surrender is currently touring with Hit The Lights, and The Maine
The Maine (band)
The Maine is an American rock band from Tempe, Arizona. They were formed in January 21st, 2007, they released EP Stay Up, Get Down in the same year. On December 11 2007, The Maine made their debut with a five song EP called The Way We Talk produced by Matt Grabe...
on the Zumiez Couch Tour. The album was released and received positive critique.
There was a rumor that after their most recent tour, Just Surrender would be going on indefinite hiatus. That rumor has been disputed by the band members' Facebook posts. It is still unclear, however, if the band will continue producing new music. The band posted on facebook:
Band members
Final line-up- Jason Maffucci - vocals (2003–2011), bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2003–2005) - Dan Simons - vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(2003–2011) - Steve Miller - 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 ....
, percussion (2003–2011) - Jolly Ubriaco - 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...
, backing vocals (2008–2011) - Kyle Shellhammer - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2008–2011)
Former
- Andrew Meunier - 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...
, backing vocals (2003–2005, 2007–2008) - Alex Haycraft - 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...
(2005-2007), bass(2007-2008), backing vocals (2005–2008) - Dan Gilmartin- 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...
(2008) - Seth Lynch 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...
(2005)
Discography
- In Your Silence EP (2003, Self-released)
- A Second Chance EP (2004, Self-released)
- If These Streets Could TalkIf These Streets Could TalkIf These Streets Could Talk is the debut album from Just Surrender. The artwork was done by haymakerprint.com. The band recorded two videos from this album, "Tell Me Everything" and "I Can Barely Breathe". This is their first CD on their label, Broken English Records. The album was produced by John...
(2005, Broken English Records) - We're In Like SinWe're in Like SinWe're In Like Sin is the second album from Just Surrender. The first single for this album is "Your Life And Mine". This is their second CD on their label, Broken English Records...
(August 21, 2007, Broken English Records) - Stronger Now EP (July 9, 2008, Self-released)
- Phoenix (July 13, 2010, Razor & Tie Records)
Videography
- Tell Me Everything - If These Streets Could Talk (2005)
- I Can Barely Breathe - If These Streets Could Talk (2005)
- Your Life and Mine - We're in Like Sin (2007)
- On My Own - Phoenix (2010)