Adam Lazzara

{{short description|American singer (born 1981)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}} {{distinguish|Adam Lanza}} {{Infobox person | name = Adam Lazzara | image = Taking Back Sunday - Rock am Ring 2018-4724.jpg | caption = Lazzara in 2018 | alias = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1981|9|22}} | birth_place = [[Sheffield, Alabama]], U.S. | occupation = {{flatlist| * Singer * songwriter * musician }} | education = | net_worth = | years_active = 1999–present | spouse = {{marriage|Misha Vaagen|2008}} | children = 3 | signature = | module = {{Infobox musical artist | embed = yes | instrument = {{flatlist| * Vocals * guitar * bass guitar * harmonica }} | genre = {{flatlist| * [[Alternative rock]] * [[emo]] * {{nowrap|[[post-hardcore]]}} * [[emo pop]] * {{nowrap|[[pop-punk]]}} * [[pop rock]] * [[Folk music|folk]] }} | label = {{flatlist| * [[Hopeless Records|Hopeless]] * [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]] * [[Victory Records|Victory]] }} | associated_acts = [[Taking Back Sunday]] | notable_instruments = }} }}

'''Adam Lazzara''' (born September 22, 1981) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist of the [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Taking Back Sunday]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Warped Tour |publisher=Cleveland Free Times |url=http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/63/warped-tour |access-date=August 4, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821120219/http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/63/warped-tour |archive-date=August 21, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Curto |first=Justin |date=June 22, 2022 |title=Third Eye Blind and Taking Back Sunday Aren't (Just) Here for Nostalgia |url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/06/third-eye-blind-taking-back-sunday-tour-interview.html |access-date=March 26, 2023 |website=Vulture |language=en-us}}</ref> Along with singing lead vocals, Lazzara plays guitar and occasionally the harmonica.

==Taking Back Sunday== ===Joining the band=== Adam Lazzara initially met the members of [[Taking Back Sunday]] at a show in [[Greensboro, North Carolina]]. At the performance, Phil Hanratty of the band [[Errortype:11]] was filling in for Taking Back Sunday’s bassist. Lazzara, whose high school band had performed in a show earlier that year with Errortype:11, connected with Hanratty before the show. Hanratty informed Lazzara that Taking Back Sunday’s bassist, [[Jesse Lacey]], had recently left to start his own band, "[[Brand New (band)|Brand New]]," and Taking Back Sunday was looking for a new bassist. He stayed after the show to meet them and asked to try out for the open bassist slot. They said yes, and about a month later, Lazzara drove from North Carolina to Long Island to try out. A week after that, [[Eddie Reyes]], the guitarist of Taking Back Sunday at the time, called Lazzara and asked if he wanted to play with them for a couple of shows. Lazzara booked a flight to New York in 2001 and by the end of that year, he had gone from temporary bassist to the band's frontman.<ref name="Band Interview">{{cite news |last1=Pearlman |first1=Mischa |title=An oral history of Taking Back Sunday: "We’re not just a band that was in the emo scene. We got past that…" |url=https://www.kerrang.com/an-oral-history-of-taking-back-sunday |access-date=15 February 2024 |publisher=Kerrang |date=20 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="Pearlman Interview"/> ===Early years=== Taking Back Sunday recorded their first album with [[Mike Sapone]], which was then burned onto CD’s at band members [[Shaun Cooper (bassist)|Shaun Cooper]] and [[Mark o'connell|Mark O'Connell]]’s apartment.<ref name="Band Interview"/> In the Spring of 2002, they released their debut album "[[Tell All Your Friends]]" with [[Victory Records]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Tell All Your Friends: 20th Anniversary Edition |url=https://victoryrecords.com/products/taking-back-sunday-tell-all-your-friends-20th-anniversary-edition-digital-album/ |website=victoryrecords.com |publisher=Victory Records |access-date=15 February 2024}}</ref> They did two tours after that release and began selling out venues they opened for only a year before.<ref name="Band Interview"/> In 2004, they went on to release “[[Where You Want to Be|Where You Want To Be]]” which became one of the top-selling independently released rock records of the year. It debuted at No. 3 on [[Billboard 200]] and reached No. 16 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. In the following year, they signed with [[Warner Records|Warner Bros]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Billboard Staff |title=Taking Back Sunday Signs With Warner Bros. |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taking-back-sunday-signs-with-warner-bros-62633/ |access-date=15 February 2024 |publisher=Billboard |date=6 October 2005}}</ref>

===Breakout album=== In April of 2006, Taking Back Sunday put out their third album, "[[Louder Now]]". The album contained the hit song "[[MakeDamnSure|Make Damn Sure]]"<ref>{{cite web |title=Louder Now Taking Back Sunday |url=https://genius.com/albums/Taking-back-sunday/Louder-now |website=genius.com |publisher=Genius |access-date=15 February 2024}}</ref> which is largely thought of as their breakout song and is their most successful song to date.<ref>{{cite web |title=Best of Taking Back Sunday |url=https://app.discotech.me/articles/best-taking-back-sunday-songs-of-all-time-top-tracks |website=Discotech.me |publisher=Discotech |access-date=15 February 2024}}</ref> It peaked at number 48 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], number 8 on the Alternative charts,<ref>{{cite web |title=Taking Back Sunday, MakeDamnSure |url=https://www.last.fm/music/Taking+Back+Sunday/Louder+Now/MakeDamnSure |website=Last.fm |publisher=Last.fm |access-date=15 February 2024}}</ref> and ranked number 52 on ''[[Rolling Stone]]'''s "The 100 Best Songs of 2006"<ref>{{cite news |title=The 100 Best Songs of the Year |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/12769472/the_100_best_songs_of_2006/6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061214083443/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/12769472/the_100_best_songs_of_2006/6 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2006-12-14 |access-date=15 February 2024 |publisher=Rolling Stone |date=2006}}</ref>

===Taking Back Sunday today=== Today, the current members of Taking Back Sunday are: Adam Lazzara (lead vocals), [[John Nolan (musician)|John Nolan]] (lead guitar, keyboards, vocals), [[Shaun Cooper (bassist)|Shaun Cooper]] (bass guitar) accompanied by Nathan Cogan (guitar) for their live performances.

==Personal life== Adam Lazzara was born September 22, 1981 in [[Sheffield, Alabama]] to [[Italian people | Italian]] family. His family moved to [[High Point, North Carolina]] when he was a young child and he attended Southwest Guilford Elementary School, Middle School and High School.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Poulos |first1=Garrett |title=TAKING BACK SUNDAY’S ADAM LAZZARA RETURNS TO HIS NC ROOTS |url=https://highlark.com/taking-back-sunday/ |access-date=15 February 2024 |publisher=Highlark |date=18 July 2018}}</ref> Looking back at this time, Lazzara has described himself as a quiet, shy kid who had a stutter<ref name="Pearlman Interview">{{cite news |last1=Pearlman |first1=Mischa |title=Adam Lazzara: "Sometimes you don’t want to remember the person you used to be... but it helps to make peace with yourself" |url=https://www.kerrang.com/adam-lazzara-sometimes-you-dont-want-to-remember-the-person-you-used-to-be-but-it-helps-to-make-peace-with-yourself |access-date=15 February 2024 |publisher=Kerrang |date=1 September 2020}}</ref> and wanted to be a dolphin trainer.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Slessor |first1=Dan |title=7 things you probably didn’t know about Taking Back Sunday’s Adam Lazzara |url=https://www.kerrang.com/7-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-taking-back-sundays-adam-lazzara |access-date=15 February 2024 |publisher=Kerrang |date=20 March 2020}}</ref> At age 13, he was introduced to [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] for the first time and began to "live and breathe rock music."<ref name="Pearlman Interview"/> He started playing in bands throughout highschool<ref name="Pearlman Interview"/> and was inspired by artists like [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], [[Michael Jackson]], and [[Lifetime (band)|Lifetime]] and "skateboarded everywhere until I was probably 19 or 20."<ref>{{cite podcast | url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/taking-back-sunday-notes-from-the-past/ | title=Taking Back Sunday: Notes From The Past | website=Vice.com | publisher=Vice | host=Ezra Marcus | date=11 February 2014 | access-date=15 February 2024 }}</ref> <br> :"I heard Nirvana and my whole world changed forever. Later on, maybe when I was about 14 years old, an older friend of mine let me borrow [[Earth Crisis]]’ [[Destroy the Machines]] and Lifetime’s [[Hello Bastards]]. [...] that Lifetime record changed my whole world all over again. Even when I listen to it now, it gives me this feeling that I can’t describe. That lead me to searching out bands on labels like Jade Tree and so on." :''– Adam Lazzara, interviewed by Mischa Pearlman.''<ref name="Pearlman Interview"/>

Lazzara was briefly engaged to [[Chauntelle DuPree|Chauntelle Dupree]], guitarist of [[Eisley]], in 2007, but the pair split before marrying.

He went on to meet Misha Vaagen, a student, poet at [[UT Tyler]] and bartender at a local restaurant.<ref>{{cite web |title=Misha Lazzara's Website |url=https://mishalazzara.com/about-me/?v=7516fd43adaa |website=MishaLazzara.com |publisher=Misha Lazzara |access-date=30 May 2023}}</ref> They were married in June 2008 and had their first child in January 2009.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Khvan |first1=Olga |title=Taking Back Sunday Took the House of Blues |url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2014/04/15/photos-taking-back-sunday-house-blues/ |access-date=15 February 2024 |publisher=Boston Magazine |date=15 April 2014}}</ref> They currently live in North Carolina with their three children. Misha is the author of ''Manmade Constellations''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Manmade Constellations |url=https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/manmade-constellations-epdg.html#541=7521 |website=blackstonepublishing.com |publisher=Blackstone Publishing |access-date=30 May 2023}}</ref>

In February 2015, Lazzara was arrested for a [[Driving while impaired|DWI]] while in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]. He was released on a $2,500 bond.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hartmann |first=Graham |title=Taking Back Sunday's Adam Lazzara Arrested for DWI |url=https://loudwire.com/taking-back-sunday-adam-lazzara-arrested-driving-while-impaired/ |access-date=September 20, 2022 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref>

==Discography== '''With [[Taking Back Sunday]]''' *''[[Tell All Your Friends]]'' (2002) *''[[Where You Want To Be]]'' (2004) *''[[Louder Now]]'' (2006) *''[[New Again]]'' (2009) *''[[Taking Back Sunday (album)|Taking Back Sunday]]'' (2011) *''[[Happiness Is (Taking Back Sunday album)|Happiness Is]]'' (2014) *''[[Tidal Wave (Taking Back Sunday album)|Tidal Wave]]'' (2016) *''[[152 (album)|152]]'' (2023)

'''Solo''' *"Because It Works" (2013)

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lazzara, Adam}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American people of Italian descent]] [[Category:People from Sheffield, Alabama]] [[Category:People from High Point, North Carolina]] [[Category:People from Long Island]] [[Category:American rock singers]] [[Category:Singers from Alabama]] [[Category:21st-century American singers]] [[Category:21st-century American male singers]] [[Category:1981 births]]