The guys of New Found Glory are in the midst of a monthlong tour promoting their latest release, Makes Me Sick. The Sick Tour was announced just months after the close of the band’s worldwide headlining tour 20 Years of Pop Punk, which came through Dallas last spring.
New Found Glory has been around since 1997, when frontman Jordan Pundik and bassist Ian Grushka met in high school in Coral Springs, Fla. Guitarist Chad Gilbert and drummer Cyrus Bolooki came onboard not long after, and the group now has nine studio albums and 21 years of touring under their belt. They’re known for catchy, nostalgic songs and energetic shows that never disappoint.
Pundik looks forward to getting back on the road and meeting fans across the country.
“The best part about being on tour is the chance to play music and have that outlet for expression,” he says. “So many people tell us that our music has helped them through tough times in their lives, and I love that about being in the band.”
Emo-rock legends Bayside will join NFG on the Sick Tour. Formed in 2000 in New York, Bayside has enjoyed a similarly extensive and productive career, with seven studio albums, including their most recent release, Vacancy.
The two groups share more than parallel career paths — they’re all good friends. In fact, Bayside frontman Anthony Raneri has been featured as guest vocalist on a few NFG tracks and even stepped in to replace Chad Gilbert during a tour in 2010.
Anthony is excited to be hitting the road and performing alongside his friends.
“I get to play music everyday and be around my friends,” Raneri says. “Especially this tour… Chad from New Found Glory is my best friend. We live in the same town, so we hang out all the time. This is going to be kind of like taking our friend group on the road.”
Something else they have in common? An appreciation for good coffee.
“I love finding the really rad coffee roasters [when we come through a new city],” Pundik says. “And hanging out with Chris and Nick [of Bayside] — they’re coffee dudes, too.”
Touring isn’t all fun, though. Being separated from their families for weeks, sometimes months, at a time isn’t easy, especially now that they’re parents.
“My daughter has been talking about the fact that I’m leaving soon for weeks already,” Raneri says. “She has a calendar in her playroom where she marks off the days, counting down until I have to go.”
For the Sick Tour's set list, Pundik and Raneri both say fans can expect to hear a good mix of old-school standbys and some newer material.“My daughter has been talking about the fact that I’m leaving soon for weeks already. She has a calendar in her playroom where she marks off the days, counting down until I have to go.” – Anthony Raneri
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“We know there are Bayside fans here that have heard those [hit] songs a million times, so we’re gonna give them something too,” Raneri says. “We’ll play at least something from every record. [Our set will be] single-driven with a couple of surprises.”
“We’re not one of those bands that just because we have a new record will play every single song that’s new,” Pundik says. “It will be all of the ‘hits’ and then some random bangers in there that people have been requesting.”
There’s one new song that Raneri hopes to hear in NFG’s set: the Caribbean-infused track “Sound of Two Voices."
“Ever since Chad played it for me on guitar at his house, I was like, 'Dude this is it, this is my favorite,'" Raneri says.
New Found Glory’s catalog spans 21 years and a wide range of styles — each record striving to outdo the last with fresh takes on a genre that’s often overlooked. Makes Me Sick is the perfect complement to this collection.
The Sick Tour kicks off May 17 and ends with a stop in Dallas on June 22 at House of Blues. Special guests are The Movielife and William Ryan Key (formerly of Yellowcard). Tickets start at $24.50.
