Just Surrender

To start a band you need one thing...people who love music. Some ability doesn’t hurt either. In 2003, Just Surrender started with high school friends Jason Maffucci, Andrew Meunier, and Steve Miller, but, like most new bands do, they searched for that last member who would add an extra element; vocals, musicianship, and the right attitude were on that list. Dan Simons, fresh out of a band and looking for something that would excite him, was the last piece of the puzzle. With the lineup tight, the guys embarked on a mission to build a reputation and make enough money to record some songs.

Just Surrender put together a 4 song EP in New York's sought-after Nada Recording Studios with producer John Naclerio. Naclerio has worked with bands such as Brand New, Senses Fail, My Chemical Romance, and many others. When the Just Surrender sessions were done, Naclerio knew this band was special. “Rarely do young bands have the ability to shape a song AND have the attitude that they don’t know it all. Actually, that never happens,” says Naclerio.

When the songs were posted online, the band quickly became one of the most popular artists on the music site www.purevolume.com, and thousands of people were listening to them every day; 400,000+ in a matter of months to be exact.

With their downloads increasing, the band saw their local fan base grow at upstate NY’s breeding ground The Chance Theater. Fellow NY artists, Autopilot Off noticed, and offered them a tour. That one tour led to other bands learning about Just Surrender; tours with Bayside, My American Heart, The Start, and Cartel, as well as shows with Hawthorne Heights, Matchbook Romance, The Early November, and Armor For Sleep were soon to follow. In their first year of existence the band was invited on tours that other bands work for years to get on. They also did enough partying to keep half the frat houses on the east coast home on a Saturday night.

As the band hit the road, their fans were not satisfied with just an EP. When the main reaction to the EP was, “I love it, when can I get more songs?” the band knew it was time to record more music. Knowing that the 4 song EP wouldn’t tide the fans over for long, they went back into the studio with Naclerio to record their debut full-length album. Just Surrender hopes that their debut LP (slated for a July 12th release) proves the new generation don’t only care about showing how upset they are. “This will hopefully make the cynics believe that young bands have something to say,” says vocalist Jason. “We’re not as serious as we may seem though,” Dan is quick to note, “The real show happens when we get off stage!” Come out and see for yourself.