Anchor Bay
In the Fast Lane to Success with Parkway Drive
Parkway Drive is an Australian band from the beachfront town of Byron Bay. In 2003, the band members took the name of the street where they had their rehearsals and formed a band using the street’s name, which is a real street where they had their all night jam sessions in their laid back hometown.
It was obvious that these 5 band mates were seriously hardcore metal men that could pound it out in style. The charisma of the group is undeniable and they have an uncanny ability to connect with every member in the audience. They look more like surfer dudes with an edge, but make no mistake these guys are heavy metal to the bone. Killing with a Smile was the first full-length album by the group.
This was released in August 2005 and the band revved up their notoriously frantic pace of performances and tours. Parkway Drive became a strong act as they performed for headlining shows around Australia and spread their wings to other countries as well. The touring has been the vehicle that they used to really crank up their fan base and visibility.
Current Parkway Drive band members
– Winston McCall – front man and vocals
– Ben Gordon – percussionist/drums
– Jeff Ling – guitarist
– Luke Kilpatrick – guitarist
– “Pipey” O’Connor – bass guitarist
In June, 2006, American record label, Epitaph Records signed the group and released the album “Killing with a Smile” to American audiences. On the Taste of Chaos Tour they played Underoath, Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, and Saosin, which are favorites with the fans and part of their enormous success in the US. Parway Drive merch enjoyed increased fan demand due to the tour appearances when they performed at the Homebake Festival, Soundwave Festival, Gravity G Festival, and Sound Fest during the August, 2006.
2007 brought continued good fortune when they played at Underworld and treated the public to the first live performance of “The Siren’s Song”. Parkway Drive was the only Australian group to be asked to participate in the 2007 US Vans Warped Tour. Their album, “Horizons” was finally released in October of 2007 and scored a 10/10 from Blunt Magazine. This metal album went straight to #6 on the ARIA charts upon its release and stayed in the top 40 for weeks.
Music Highlights in Brief: Album Releases were: 2005 release of Killing with a Smile 2007 release of Horizons. Singles and Music Videos include: Boneyards
2008 release of Smoke ‘em if Ya got ‘em
Parkway Drive announced in January of 2009 that Stick to Your Guns andMyChildren MyBride would be part of their headlining a cross-country US tour, which they are still in the middle of. Parkway Drive merchadise sales, including tees, posters and hoodies are popular with fans of one of the newest heavy metal icons. “Idols and Anchors” and “Romance is Dead” are 2 singles that you hear frequently on the radio and a large number of fans are downloading “Carrion” and “Guns for Show, Knives for a Pro”.
Anchor Bay Entertainment(2007)