By Jamie Lim
Reporter
Most Baylor students anticipate one thing during the spring semester: Diadeloso. This year’s headliner for the event will be Parachute.
“After coming up with desired outcomes and core components of the day, we began looking for an artist who would fit the fun and celebratory nature of Diadeloso,” Diadeloso 2012 chairman Bo Rose said. “We then talked to students and researched the feasibility of bringing various artists to campus. Parachute emerged as a popular and fitting choice as a band that would be a great asset to the day.”
Some students on campus may be wondering one thing: who is Parachute? The answer: Parachute is a rock band, or at least that’s how it’s classified on iTunes.
“Parachute is an up-and-coming pop/rock band that we believe will be well received by Baylor students,” Rose said.
On Parachute’s Facebook page, however, it’s classified a little bit differently. The band describes its music as a mix between full-throttle rock with some soul, R&B and pop.
There are five members in the band: Will Anderson on lead vocals, guitars and piano; Kit French on saxophone, keyboards and vocals; Alex Hargrave on bass; Johnny Stubblefield on drums; and Nat McFarland on lead guitar and vocals.
The band has performed and toured with many well-known artists, like Kelly Clarkson, the Goo Goo Dolls and Three Doors Down.
“Parachute puts on excellent performances and we believe that they will fit well with the feel of [Diadeloso],” Rose said. “We are excited to have them on campus.”
Their most recent album, “The Way It Was,” was released in May 2011. The album features the song “Kiss Me Slowly,” which is their No. 1 selling song on iTunes. Parachute co-wrote the song with the Grammy award-winning band, Lady Antebellum.
“When I first found out that they were coming to Dia, I really didn’t know who they were,” San Angelo freshman Katie Hooker said. “Obviously they were significant enough because they were the main headliners. I looked them up online and recognized some of their songs.”
Students may not be familiar with the band, but there is a high percentage that they’ve heard at least one of their songs, like “She is Love.” It’s one of Parachute’s most successful and well-known songs. The song was on their first album, “Losing Sleep,” which was released in May 2009.
During that year, “She is Love” was featured on a commercial for Nivea’s Smooth Sensation body lotion. The first campaign was so successful that Nivea featured another song by Parachute in a second campaign. The song “Under Control,” was used in a commercial for its gradual tanner, Nivea Sun-Kissed Beautiful Legs.
In 2008, Parachute performed for Nivea’s New Year’s Eve event at Times Square in New York. The band shared the stage with other famous artists, like Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers. The band also performed at by South by Southwest in April 2009.
Some of Parachute’s music has been featured on hit TV series like “One Tree Hill,” “90210” and “The Vampire Diaries.” Furthermore, Parachute’s song “Back Again” was featured on “Band Hero,” which is a video game spin-off from the popular game series “Guitar Hero.”
“I look forward to hearing them, and hope all the Baylor students turn out to support and welcome them to our campus,” Hooker said.
Whether students are familiar with them or not, Parachute’s music can be heard anywhere. On Thursday, students will get the chance to see the band perform live. Parachute’s performance is scheduled at 6 p.m.
“People have expressed their excitement for the style of music played by Parachute and we are expecting an excellent turnout,” Rose said.
