State Champs and Taylor Acorn

Originally formed of lead guitarist Tyler Szalkowski and lead singer Derek DiScanio in upstate New York, guitarist Tony Diaz, bassist William Goodermote, and drummer Evan Ambrosia were later added to complete the line up. Soon after the band’s founding, State Champs issued a untitled five-track EP in 2010, followed by their second EP “Apparently, I’m Nothing” in January 2011. The latter release and supporting performances caught the attention of Pure Noise Records who subsequently signed the band in April 2012. State Champs’ label debut came in September of that year with the 7” “Overslept”, produced by Jay Maas. Influenced by the pioneers of the melodic punk genre Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, and Story So Far, the 7” encapsulates DiScanio’s similarly soaring vocals and emotive lyrics.

State Champs’ debut album “The Finer Things” arrived in October 2013, debuting at No. Two on Billboard Heatseekers Chart. Produced by Sam Pura and former New Found Glory guitarist Steve Klein, the album was supported by a North American tour alongside Motion City Soundtrack and Bayside. 2014 brought more touring for the band this time alongside We Are The In Crowd, William Becket, and Set It Off in the U.S., and The Wonder Years and A Loss for Words in the UK and mainland Europe. The EP “The Acoustic Things” was released in 2014 once again on Pure Noise Records, and debuted at No. 112 on the Billboard 200. State Champs subsequently performed as a part of the 2014 Vans Warped Tour, and co-headlined the 2014 Pure Noise Records tour.