by Nicole Kuliyev and Hannah Zeitner, staff reporters
The Maine is a band that formed in 2007 from Tempe, Arizona. They celebrated their ninth anniversary being a band on the 21st of January.
They released their first EP, Stay Up , Get Down, that same year as their second EP, The Way We Talk, was released that December. They have released over 5 studio albums and were signed to a variety of different label companies. Their most recent album, American Candy, was released on March 31, 2015.
The band started out with Garrett Nickelson and Pat Kirch who decided to form a band around November 2006. John O’Callaghan then joined the band without any vocal experience. He joined with Alex Ross and Ryan Osterman to release their EP, “Stay Up, Get Down”. Eventually, both members left the band and were replaced by Jared Monaco and Kennedy Brock. Currently the band consists of Nickelson (bass), Kirch (drums), Monaco (lead guitar), O’Callaghan (vocals), and Brock (guitar). The Maine was signed to Fearless Records and released their EP, The Way We Talk.
The Maine dropped their first full length album titled, Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop in 2009 and went on tour shortly after. In December of 2008, they released their Christmas album named, …And a Happy New Year. In 2009, they went on yet another tour and then performed at Warped Tour.
The Maine released their second album, Black & White in the summer of 2010. They went on a tour with Never Shout Never and released a split LP, titled The Maine/NeverShoutNever Live LP. The band came out with two books: This Is Real Life and the Black & White Keepsake Book, within that year as well.
Their next three albums, Pioneer, Forever Halloween, and American Candy were all released in the following years, with accompanying tours.
“They’re one of my favorite bands and I always check to see when they tour. One of my favorite albums by them is Pioneer because I loved their older sound” junior Elizabeth Browne said.
In these nine years, the Maine have achieved so much. From performing at Warped Tour to having a free tour for everyone, the Maine is always giving back to their fans. Currently, The Maine is currently on their American Lines tour with the bands, Mayday Parade and Better Off.