Brooks Betts

Mayday Parade was formed in the winter of 2005 following the merger of two local Tallahassee bands, Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment. Kid Named Chicago featured vocalist/guitarist Jason Lancaster, guitarist Alex Garcia and drummer Jake Bundrick, while Defining Moment featured vocalist Derek Sanders, guitarist Brooks Betts, and bassist Jeremy Lenzo. Both bands previously practiced in the same building, before it occurred to Lenzo that it "made more sense if we put them together instead of playing separately."
Still arguing over a name, the band went into the studio to record their first EP Tales Told by Dead Friends, on November 7, 2006, with producer Lee Dyess. They decided on the band name Mayday Parade during the week they spent recording in the studio. The band went on their first U.S. tour with Brandtson and Mêlée, then on another tour with Plain White T's shortly after the rele…