The members of Hey Monday look more like they walked off the set of Laguna Beach than like five kids who grew up and cut their teeth in West Palm. But that's exactly where vocalist Cassadee Pope, lead guitarist Mike Gentile, guitarist Alex Lipshaw, and bassist Jersey Moriarty, and drummer Elliot James hail from.
And with those pretty-rocker-posing-for-Abercrombie good looks and a Hills-friendly sound, it wasn't long before a major label like Columbia Records snatched them up through Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz's Decaydance Records. Call their material power pop, call it pop-punk, or call it what you want, but in all cases, Hey Monday's sound is upbeat, exuberant, and effervescent to the point of contagion.
The band's 2008 debut, Hold on Tight, which dropped when members
were fresh out of high school, boasts songs covering topics ranging
from love to heartbreak with that sincere earnestness singular to
bright-eyed youth. And in apropos fashion, they make no apologies about
it.
The kids from West Palm are in the midst of the
Alternative Press tour with Never Shout Never, the Cab, Every Avenue,
and the Summer Set. But they'll be dropping by Austin for a gig during
SXSW, to make sure SoFla's represented.
Check out Monday's entry about Fort Lauderdale's Every You here.
