With their thirty year anniversary as a band on the horizon in 2024, Texas’ favourite punk rock export Bowling For Soup continue to grow their global fanbase and expand their success year on year.
Also dubbed the crown princes of pop punk, Bowling For Soup - frontman and guitarist Jaret Reddick, fellow guitarist Chris Burney, drummer Gary Wiseman and bassist Rob Felicetti have proved that nothing, not even a global pandemic, has slowed the demand for their unique, humour filled live shows and upbeat, heartfelt anthems.
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Songs such as High School Never Ends, Punk Rock 101, 1985 and of course the Grammy nominated Girl All The Bad Guys Want resonate as much today as when they were written and are proving extremely popular in the modern streaming world. Their 2022 album, Pop Drunk Snot Bread, a play on the cultural reference “pop punk’s not dead”, was heralded by fans and critics alike as the band’s best release in fifteen years. Millions of streams and YouTube views for songs like Getting Old Sucks (But Everybody’s Doing It), I Wanna Be Brad Pitt and the global smash Alexa Bliss (dedicated to WWE’s own multi-time world wrestling women’s champion) show that Bowling For Soup can still run rings (and riffs) around their younger contemporaries. The album also features songs like The Best We Can, Wouldn’t Change A Thing and the positive mental health anthem Hello Anxiety, where Bowling For Soup show they can do both serious and reflective, with a BFS heart at the core.
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It's a testament to the bands' enduring appeal and a fanbase that continues to grow day after day - evidenced by their 100 million streams on Spotify in the year 2020 alone. Finding their niche back in the 1990's would be tough when the musical climate was in serious shift. "We were just the stereotypical, small town guys with nothing else to do - starting a band to keep ourselves out of trouble" recalls frontman Jaret Reddick looking back. There was certainly no trend to follow, every other band seemed to be genre jumping to try and catch "the next big thing" without knowing what "the next big thing was", leaving the members of Bowling For Soup with no option to just go out and have fun. Brought up on a heady diet of 80's John Hughes Movies, LA Hair Metal, Steve Martin comedy routines (which spawned the band's name) and hook laden punk rock, BFS hit the ground running on the simple blueprint - have a good time and pretty soon, everyone else will join in!
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Bowling For Soup are a band who've proven time and again that they can move with the times throughout a period of turbulence for the music industry. From their DIY roots, through to being on a major record label for many years (Jive Records) and being very successfully independent with their own label for over a decade, they are a band who've found success in every way. ‘We're in control of everything now. If we decide we wanna do something, we just do it - we don't need to ask anyone’s permission. It also makes you feel super proud when you do something yourself and it’s a success’, reveals Reddick.
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Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Bowling For Soup were playing to the biggest crowds of their career. Over 20,000 people witnessed their sold out 2020 UK tour with Simple Plan and they've sold out arenas alongside Steel Panther. Headline appearances at recent editions of UK festivals like Slam Dunk and Reading and Leeds have gone down a storm. At Reading Festival 2019 the crowd overflowed out of the stage with fans peering for a glimpse of "BFS", while their appearances at the final editions of the US Vans Warped Tour brought enormous crowds to every show, no matter what time of day the band were performing.
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With the world experiencing live music again following COVID in 2022, Bowling For Soup’s enduring live appeal saw fans return in droves for huge tours in both the UK and US, many making a “BFS” show their first taste of live music since the pandemic. Whether it was huge theatre shows with Lit and The Dollyrots (UK), Less Than Jake and The Aquabats (US) or the sold out UK singalong with Jaret and Rob acoustic tour, the demand to see Bowling For Soup live in the flesh is bigger than it ever has been. 2023 sees the band return to play festivals and shows in mainland Europe for the first time in many years, alongside huge slots at the UK Slam Dunk Festival, while multiple US tours are in the pipeline. A Second chapter of their greatest hits, Songs People Actually Like Volume 2, is due to land late this Summer. Frontman Jaret Ray Reddick is also enjoying new adventures with his journey in the world of Red Dirt Country Music with his debut solo album Just Woke Up.
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While the music industry and the world at large is ever evolving, Bowling For Soup have prided themselves on moving with the times, keeping up with the latest ways to stay in touch with their fans (Jaret is now a huge star on TikTok) and get their music out there to as many people as possible. For generations of fans, there has always been a Bowling For Soup song for every occasion. They’re the band who make you smile and they’re the band who will pick you up when you are down, and as their song says, they wouldn’t change a thing.
Jessica Ticko
Ticko is a multifaceted musician whose journey through the realms of music has been as diverse as it is compelling. Since diving headfirst into the music scene in 2016, Ticko has consistently pushed boundaries, defying expectations and crafting a unique sonic signature that refuses to be pigeonholed. Originally rooted in the Folk/Americana genre, Ticko's early releases captivated audiences with their poignant storytelling and soul-stirring melodies. With three albums under her belt, Ticko has established herself as a formidable presence in the indie circuit, garnering praise for her introspective lyricism and emotive performances. Ticko prepares to unveil her fourth album in June 2024 which promises to be a departure from her previous work, marking a definitive transition into the realm of alt-rock. From the ethereal landscapes of Folk/Americana to the gritty, visceral energy of alt-rock, Ticko's music transcends genre labels, speaking directly to the heart of the listener with its raw authenticity and emotional depth.
Hard Candy Paranoia
Hard Candy Paranoia is an alternative rock/pop-punk band that formed in Greenwood, South Carolina in late 2022, but truly came together in 2023. Consisting of five members, all of whom have spent the vast majority of their lives as musicians, Hard Candy Paranoia attempts to unite multiple styles of music and bring them all under the umbrella of their genre. Sommer Barrett, known on stage as Siren Oz Sanguine, is the vocalist and lyricist of the group. Chase “Ripper” Davis can be found rocking out on both guitar and keytar. Cliff Reda, an incredibly talented bassist, fills that role for the band. Nick Patterson, yet another very skilled long-time musician, plays lead guitar. Last but certainly not least, Justice Whittle is the band’s drummer who undeniably brings the energy. The band has released several songs, with each bringing an entirely unique feel, such as Talker in a Jar, Icicle Eyes, Goth Elf Boi, and Morgue. It is easy to note that while the band is primarily of the alternative rock and pop punk genres, elements of swing, jazz, and even metal are incorporated into their sound. This is possible because each member brings a touch of their own unique styles and preferences into every song. Every song that Hard Candy Paranoia performs holds a lot of meaning because they are not just songs.
They are all stories, and this band cannot wait to tell you these stories. Hard Candy Paranoia looks forward to sharing everything that’s yet to come with everyone, especially those who maybe couldn’t fit in anywhere else, so they had to learn to create their own way and live a little outside of the box. If you are looking for something that’s just a little new and different but still loves some aspects of the classics then Hard Candy Paranoia is the band you want to jam out to.​
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