The National Parks
The National Parks is a folk/pop band comprised of five members: Brady Parks (Denver, Colorado – guitar and lead vocals), Sydney Carling Macfarlane (Kaysville, Utah – keyboards and vocals), John Hancock (Sacramento, California – electric guitar), Cam Brannelly (Draper, Utah – drums), and Megan Taylor Parks (Draper, Utah – violin). The group was formed by front man, Brady Parks, with original band members Sydney Carling, and Paige Wagner, in Provo, Utah, in early 2013, with 15 March 2013, marking the band’s first public performance. They produced their debut album Young through Kickstarter under the name of the founder and front man, Brady Parks but was eventually released under the name The National Parks on 3 September 2013. The album was recorded at June Audio with producer Scott Wiley and climbed to #13 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart.
In January 2014, they released “As We Ran,” a standalone single which was written for the documentary film Love in the Tetons. The first month of their proceeds was donated to the National Parks Conservation Association. The online success of the album and “As We Ran” helped them find growing crowds around Utah, as well as, in Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City. International attention to the band began with the release of “Helsinki,” which premiered on NPR’s All Songs Considered in January 2015.
The band’s second album, Until I Live, was released independently in September 2015 and reached #52 on the iTunes Pop Chart, #5 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers Chart for the Mountain Region, and boosted Spotify streams beyond 2.5 million. The two albums and the standalone single combined have amassed more than 13.2 million Spotify streams and garnered praise from press outlets such as NPR’s All Songs Considered, CMT Edge, Baeble Music, and Pop Matters. Following their sophomore release, the band has been favorably compared to a wide variety of acts including Foster the People, The Civil Wars, and Mumford & Sons, and has sold out shows in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
The National Parks self-booked tour began in the summer of 2014. By 2016, the band was filling clubs in every region in the country while also performing at SXSW, Canadian Music Week, School Night at Bardot’s, Musikfest, Snowmass Mammoth Fest, and Make Music Pasadena. The group has also performed with acts such as Andy Grammer, Peter Bjorn and John, The Lone Bellow, LeAnn Rimes, and The Moth & The Flame.
In March 2016 City Weekly magazine named them Utah’s Band of the Year. The following month, “Monsters of the North” – a lead single from Until I Live – was announced as the winner of the International Songwriting Competition for all unsigned artists.
The National Parks is currently working on their third studio album Places. The lead single was released as a lyric video on their YouTube channel on 16 June 2017 via Rock Love Magic Records. Please visit the tour page on their official website for their upcoming concert dates.
Follow The National Parks
Recent Posts
Cedar Breaks ® Band-Music Building Religious and Cultural Bridges
The following press release from Mike Ericksen of Empath Media LLC was published on News Wire.com on 25 May 2018. Cedar Breaks Band, a part of Empath Media LLC, has won friends across the country with award-winning music and films. Cedar Breaks Band's messages of...
John Wayne Schulz – The High Flying Pilot, Singer, U.S. Marine
John Wayne Schulz, a small-town cowboy and horse trainer, was born on 29 September 1987, in Columbus, Montana. He hails from Karnes City, Texas, just south of San Antonio, where he grew up on an 800-acre ranch working cattle, something that his family has been doing...
David Archuleta to Share the Stage with Colbie Caillat for BYU Spectacular 2018
Brigham Young University (BYU) will celebrate its Homecoming week on 9-13 October 2018. As part of the grandiose celebration, the annual BYU Spectacular show will be held at the Brigham Young University’s Marriott Center on Thursday, 11 October, and Friday, 12 October...
Press Release for Jordan James’ Debut EP “Truth”
Jordan James Pinkston (his stage name is Jordan James), an 18-year-old (6 August 2000) Acoustic, Soul-Pop singer-songwriter, and pianist from Utah, released his debut EP, Truth, on Monday, 14 May 2018. The album, comprised of six original songs written by Jordan,...
The Aces Make Debut Appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers
The Aces, an all-girl, all rock band originally from Provo, Utah, made its late-night show debut Wednesday night, 16 May 2018, on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers. Formerly The Blue Aces, the band is comprised of four girls: Cristal Ramirez – lead vocals and guitar,...
The “Worth of Souls” Album is a Balm in Gilead Set to Music
Leonardo da Vinci once posed the question, “Do you know that our soul is composed of harmony?” Music, therefore, is medicine or a healing balm for the soul. As Coach “Red” Auerbach aptly stated, “Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Research...