Rookie of the Year is an

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

/ acoustic band from Fayetteville,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. They were signed to

One Eleven Records One Eleven Records was an Orlando-based record label concentrating on young rock bands. Established in 2002, by Brad Fischetti, formerly of the boy band Lyte Funky Ones. The label is a part of the EastWest Records family of labels. They have a d ...

, though their third release fulfilled their contractual obligation to One Eleven and allowed them to sign with a new label. The band is fronted by lead singer/songwriter Ryan Dunson.

Biography

The band was formed in 2005 as a solo project of singer Ryan Dunson. Dunson signed with Vice Verse Virtue Records, a Tennessee record label, in late 2005. Soon after, Dunson signed to

, releasing a 1000-copy EP called ''Late Night Makeout''. In 2005 One Eleven Records released the band's first record, ''Having to Let Go'', as a 13-track LP. In 2005, OneEleven Records re-released the album as a 10-track LP. After expanding to a five-piece, their second album, ''The Goodnight Moon'', was released in April 2006 to critical acclaim and widespread fan approval. Following this release, they toured through North America on the

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...

. March in 2008 Mick Parsons from the Tooth and Nail records band Jonezetta joined band on Drums. Their full-length record '' Sweet Attention'' was released on August 5, 2008 on

. Over the next 12 months, the band toured non-stop promoting the release, including two headlining tours as well as a prominent tour supporting reunited boy-band LFO. The band would do multiple tours with Secondhand Serenade, playing as Secondhand Serenade’s live band if needed. In June 2010 they released an 8-track EP titled ''

The Most Beautiful is a 1944 Japanese drama and propaganda film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The semidocumentary film follows a group of female volunteer workers at an optics factory during the Second World War, during which the film was produced. Plot ...

'', featuring the singles "Turn the Page" and "Frustrated". David Whitney, (drummer) was killed in a car accident on July 4, 2011. January 11, 2012, Rookie of the Year release an Acoustic/EP called ''Along for the Ride'' featuring the song "Dallas". Rookie Of The Year officially release ''Canova Presents: The Goodnight Moon Part II' Featuring the singles: "Love/Me/Crazy", "Save Me" and "Colors of Summer". In early 2017, it was announced that Rookie Of The Year would be touring as a full band for the first time since 2011. The band completed a 6-week national comeback tour which included headline dates and support dates with Forever The Sickest Kids, He Is We, For The Win, and The New Low. Rookie signed to Cardigan Records in April 2018 to Release a covers Ep. In late 2018, the band toured in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of ''Sweet Attention'', completed another headlining tour, and toured as direct support for Tooth & Nail Records' MAE, with additional support from LOYALS. In 2021, the band entered the studio with Matt Squire. New album is hinted to be done

Discography

Albums

* '' Having to Let Go'' (2005) * '' The Goodnight Moon'' (April 11, 2006, 111 Records) * '' Sweet Attention'' (August 5, 2008, 111 Records) U.S.

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Heatseekers No. 11 and No. 9 on Billboard's Alternative New Artist chart.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

* ''

'' (June 7, 2010, Future Destination Records) * ''The Goodnight Moon Part II'' (August 13, 2013, Future Destination Records distro)

EPs

* Since I Left Your World (2009, 111 Records) * Along For The Ride (January 11, 2012)

Band members

Ryan Dunson - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Trey Mulvey - Guitar/ Vocals
Chris Moropoulos - Drums
Stevie Benz - Bass/Vocals
;Former Live Members *Mike Kamerman - 2005-2010 (Guitar, Vocals) *Brandon Schade - 2006-2009 (Guitar) *David Whitney - 2007 (Drums) *TJ Holt - 2004-2006 (Drums) *Mick Parsons - 2007-2008 (Drums) *Jordan Young - 2009-2010 (Drums) *Vito Apollo - 2007-2009 (Keyboards) *Daniel Kerrigan - 2009 (Keyboards/Guitar) *Zack Reichert - 2009-2010 (Guitar) *Joshua Duncan - 2014-2015 (Saxophone/Back-up vocalist) *Jeff Nations - 2017-2019 (Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals) *Adam Wirth - 2017-2019 (Bass, Background Vocals)

Music videos

* Liars and Battlelines (2007) * What Is Love (2008) * Sooner or Later (The Next Move) (2009) * Slow Down (2009) * Hey Lauren (2010) * Wake me up (it's Christmas) (2010) * Dallas (2012) * Everything (2017) * Empty House (2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rookie Of The Year (Band) Musical groups established in 2002 Musical groups from North Carolina American emo musical groups 2002 establishments in North Carolina