Q&A: Mayday Parade’s Jeremy Lenzo talks upcoming Sad Summer Festival
After the final cross-country Vans Warped Tour last summer, new festivals have popped up to fill the void for pop-punk fans. One such event being Sad Summer Festival will take place July 6 at White Oak Music Hall.
Performers include State Champs, Mayday Parade, The Maine, and Forever the Sickest Kids.
In preparation for the festival, Jeremy Lenzo of Mayday Parade answered some questions to give insight into the festival and the artist.
Q: How does it feel and what does it mean to you to be a participant in the inaugural Sad Summer Festival?
A: As a band, it’s something we feel very honored to be a part of, we have been able to work with the festival from its inception and share our ideas with the festival coordinators. It’s just an amazing thing to see their vision come to fruition. I think there is so much potential for this festival to grow in the future, and to know we were a part of the first one is a special thing.
Q: Which artist(s) has had the greatest impact on your life/work and why?
A: The artist[s] that have the greatest impact for me would probably be Saves The Day and The Get Up Kids. They were the two artists who got me into pop rock, and I just fell in love with the genre. I wouldn’t be playing this style of music if it wasn’t for those two bands.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about Sad Summer festival and why?
A: I’m most looking forward to being back with my best friends playing again. We’ve had a few months off, and it will be nice to get back in the groove of playing again. I’m also looking forward to after the shows are over getting to hang with all the bands on the tour. We’ve known most of the acts on this tour for years, so it will be a big family reunion.
Q: What is your favorite non-musical artistic medium and why?
A: I dabble with graphic design, drawing on my iPad or on the computer. Some designs I make into enamel pins, but most of the time when I am designing something it’s just for fun.
Q: Is there anything I haven’t asked that you’d like our readers to know?
A: Not really. I guess I would just say to anyone reading this, be good to one another, there’s a lot in this world we can’t change, but how we treat one another is something entirely up to us, so be kind, and take care of one another. A little compassion goes a long way, and in today’s world, it means more than ever.
For more information on Sad Summer Festival, visit www.sadsummerfest.com.
