AllStar Weekend, the popular band that hails from Poway, California, is touring the U.S. and parts of Canada for their Summer of Love Tour. Along the way, they plan to perform at the on July 23.
Currently comprised of lead singer Zachary Porter, Cameron Quiseng and Michael Martinez, the band first rose to fame when they were contestants on Radio Disney's special, Next Big Thing, under their former name, ALLSTAR. Despite being a fan favorite, the band lost. However, they went on to sign a contract with Hollywood Records and quickly began work on their debut album, Suddenly.
Shortly after signing with with the record company, the band changed their name from Allstar to Allstar Weekend, citing legal issues.
Allstar Weekend was included on one of the popular Disney compilation albums, Disneymania 7, which was released in 2010. The band recorded their version of "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" from the hit animated film, The Lion King.
"Not Your Birthday" was released as a single in 2011 and premiered on Radio Disney. The song was recorded for the soundtrack of Disney's film Prom.
The band eventually left Disney and Hollywood Records in order to grow their brand.
"No matter how appealing it seemed, ASW never fully fit the Disney 'mold,'" according to their press release. "There were no TV shows, no movies, no promise rings, no smoke and mirrors. Just real dudes making real music wanting to do real tours and make real Youtube videos without having to do some real censoring!"
Touring since 2010, the band has performed alongside such superstar performers as Selena Gomez and Emily Osment (Hannah Montana).
The band has released two full albums, one 5-song EP entitled "The American Dream," and plan to release another full album in early 2013.
Their hit songs include "Blame It On September," "Life As We Know It" and "Dance Forever."
The band will perform live at the on Monday, July 23, with opening act Honor Society. Lead singer Porter, 22, spoke with Agoura Hills Patch via telephone the morning after their first show of the tour.
Agoura Hills Patch: How was your first night?
Zachary Porter: Great, so far.
Patch: How would you describe your music?
Porter: It's pop; it's rock. We like to blend some soul and some disco influence into our music. It's music you can move to.
Patch: Who are your influences?
Porter: We're kind of all over the board. The other guys love Prince and hip-hop and that kind of stuff. I'm a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. I love bands like the Bee Gees and older music.
Patch: Tell us a little about your current tour.
Porter: We always try to make each show different. A lot of our fans are repeat offenders, so we try not to make each [performance] exactly the same every night. We leave it up to the crowd, their interactions with us and our own ideas ... We have fans who travel to see us [for several shows per tour], especially in those cities that are close to one another. You have fans that go to five, six, seven shows in a row. It's pretty amazing. So for those fans, we want to give them something unique each time.
Patch: So what can fans expect for the Canyon Club show?
Porter: It'll be fun; it'll be energetic and for fans to sing along ... We'll definitely be [performing] a good amount of songs from every album ... and you never know what we'll do.
Patch: Why the Canyon Club, and have you ever been to Agoura Hills?
Porter: One of our managers lives in Thousand Oaks, and he really wanted us to play there ... I've been to Agoura Hills, Thousand Oaks, Westlake.
Patch: What do you think of our fair city? Any favorite hangouts?
Porter: It's really nice, a great getaway from the hectic rush of L.A. ... I think is great.
Patch: Tell us about your relationship with your fans.
Porter: We try to have an intimate relationship with our fans [through] Facebook and Twitter. We talk to them a lot, always telling them about our personal lives so they feel like they know us. So at the concert, when they see us on stage, they feel like they already know us. And that's cool!
Patch: Any interesting or touching fan stories you can share?
Porter: One time, for my birthday, a fan gave me a Chihuahua (chuckles) ... My favorite moments are when the fans or their parents tell us that our concerts or our music helps keep them positive.
For information on the concert or tickets at the Canyon Club, click here.
Fans can follow AllStar Weekend via their website and Facebook page.
