Far as we know, a starmaker/Svengali didn't have anything to do with the formation of Hey Monday. But the Florida group's members seem to have been as carefully cast for their roles as the telegenic types who made up two of the state's prepackaged '90s-era exports, 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.
Lead guitarist Mike Gentile's name perfectly describes the band's target demographic, while fellow players Michael "Jersey" Moriarty, Alex Lipshaw and Elliot James offer the sort of anonymous support designed not to overshadow lead singer Cassadee Pope, whose adorableness merges Disney Channel accessibility with the big pipes and hair-dyeing sass of Hayley Williams. Moreover, "Homecoming" and other tracks from Hold on Tight, the band's 2008 debut recording, are so commercial that advertising them would be redundant.
No need for Hey Monday to keep it real. That'd undermine the whole concept. Not surprisingly, a whole slew of likeminded mall punk acts open.