Parkway Drive
| Parkway Drive | |
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Parkway Drive in Bangkok in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | PWD, Parkway |
| Origin | Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Metalcore, heavy metal |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | www |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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| Parkway Drive discography | |
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| Studio albums | 5 |
| Music videos | 9 |
| EPs | 1 |
| Split albums | 1 |
Parkway Drive is an Australian metalcore band from Byron Bay, New South Wales, formed in 2003. As of 2015, Parkway Drive has released five full-length albums (Killing with a Smile, Horizons, Deep Blue, Atlas and Ire), one EP, two DVDs, a split album and one book, titled Ten Years of Parkway Drive. The band's latest four albums have reached the top 10 of the Australian ARIA Charts, with Ire reaching number 1 in October 2015.
The band's line-up has remained consistent for most of their career, with the only exceptions being the departure of Brett Versteeg in 2004, followed by Shaun Cash in 2006; since the addition of bassist Jia O'Connor in 2006, no members have left the group.
Parkway Drive was formed at the beginning of 2003. The band took their name from the street where their home rehearsal space and live venue, 'The Parkway House', was located. In the 2009 documentary on 'Parkway Drive: The DVD' the explains that there was a lack of venues for punk rock and hardcore punk bands to practice and perform and that 'Parkway House' was like 'a little oasis for us and all our friends'. The group played their first show at the Byron Bay Youth Centre where I Killed The Prom Queen vocalist Michael Crafter, visiting from Adelaide, also first saw the group and gained their interest. The I Killed the Prom Queen / Parkway Drive: Split CD was released June 2003 and both groups toured Australia over the rest of the year. After signing with Resist Records the band released the Don't Close Your Eyes EP in 2004 and opened for Shadows Fall, Chimaira, Hatebreed and Alexisonfire on subsequent Australian tours. Winston McCall commented on the EP in early 2005 that he was surprised that 'for six songs it's done amazing for us...I'm surprised that kids picked it up so well' Following Brett Versteeg's replacement by Shaun Cash, Parkway Drive flew to the United States where they recorded their debut full-length Killing with a Smile with Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz in just two weeks. Manager Graham Nixon later noted that 'it was not the "done thing" for an Australian band to head overseas and work with a producer of that sort of calibre'. The album debuted in the Australian Album (ARIA) charts at 39. In 2006 the group toured in Europe, their first time performing overseas, and later returned to North America. In late May 2006, bass player Shaun Cash left the band for personal reasons with full support from the rest of the members. He was replaced by their "merch guy" and long-time friend, Jia "Pie" O'Connor. Parkway Drive signed to American punk label Epitaph in June 2006.
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