A Small Portion Of VALENCIA History Before The Band Plays Bamboozle

Published on 25 March 2023 at 09:56

“There’s something strange going on in my head.” A sentiment many of us have all said at one, or many, points in time in our lives, especially as a teen or young adult. Yet it was Shane Henderson of Valencia that sings out those opening words on the first track of Valencia’s debut album back in 2005. While I was figuring out how to go from a high school senior to college freshman around the years of 2004-2005, the Philadelphia band of Shane Henderson (vocals), Brendan Walter (guitar), George Ciukurescu (bass), J.D. Perry (guitar), and Maxim Soria (drums), had formed, made a name for themselves in the Philadelphia area, played Warped tour, made a name for themselves outside of the tri-state area, signed to I Surrender Records, and released their debut album.

Over the last 18 or so years, the band has released 3 full length albums, signed to a major label, experienced the tragic loss of Max Soria, made an positive impact on the music scene of the 200s and beyond, took and extended hiatus that lasted from 2011-2016, and had a couple changes in band members. Dan Pawlovich (drums), and Trevor Leonard (guitar), have been on the stage along with Henderson, Walter, and Ciukurescu as of recently. They have lent support opening for bands such as Blink 182, New Found Glory, All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, The Audition, We The Kings, and many others in that genre. They have also embarked on their own headlining shows and tours.

In December 2011, Valencia played their final show (at the time) to a sold out Electric Factory in Philadelphia. I was fortunate to be one of those fans in attendance for the show. The support of the band was evident even as they anticipated an end to their journey. Not only was the venue maxed out to capacity, but I don’t recall ever seeing a side stage filled with so many individuals taking in a show. Valencia loves Philadelphia and Philadelphia has continued to reciprocate that love.

Since the band regrouped in 2016, they have played various tours and shows, and released a handful of singles. On Sunday May 7, you can see Valencia hit the Bamboozle Festival stage in Atlantic City, NJ.

The Bamboozle Festival is a 3-day music festival taking place at Bader Field in Atlantic City from May 5-7, 2023. The festival is making its return after a few years away, however the heart of the festival continues by bringing artists of many genres together. I wrote about the Bamboozle Festival earlier this year linked here.

Valencia's first Farewell Show, December 2011 at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. Photo by Jeanine Butterworth-Green.

From the early days of Valencia, it was evident that regardless of what the expectations were for thier debut album, “This Could Be A Possibility," the expectations must have been exceeded. This album should be thought of as one of the albums that helped shape the emo-pop-punk industry of the 2000s. Any scene kid from those days can hear a Valencia song and instantly recognize the tune. You may not know the band or song name, but you know the songs were part of a special time in the scene.

“This Could Be A Possibility” is a 10 song album that not only is filled with songs about love and heartbreak, but also contains numerous mentions of the city they love. In the lead song, ‘The Space Between,’ Henderson sings about wanting to drive to Carolina to her front door step inorder to rememist, “Can you remember sitting by my side, on the banks of the Delaware River, talking about life.” He knows she needs to be in Carolina as that was always her dream, but the space between them seems to only make the heart grow fonder and the strageness in his head occur.

In the song ‘Tenth Street,’ Henderson is much more direct about the love of Philadelphia in the line, “Cause you know, Philadelphia makes me feel home.” The love for Philadelphia wasn’t just a popular location to use in song writing either. Follow some social media pages and you’ll see that love for the city runs deep, including die-hard fans of all the sports teams. Henderson recently made a post regarding a Valencia song used for Flyers Trivia. Valencia also joined up with the Philadelphia Wings “Emo Night” on March 25, 2023.

The band’s sophomore album, “We All Need A Reason To Believe,” was released in 2008 by Columbia Records. The album featured 11 songs, and reached #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Seekers chart. The album itself would not be considered a failure, but being part of Columbia Records wasn't the most pleasant experience for the group. As Valencia was nearing their final show in 2011, Henderson took time to reflect on the accomplishments of the band. He also reflected on the industry as a whole and the negative encounter he faced with Columbia Records, as he wrote the following,

“This Industry is tough, it will beat you down. When we signed to Columbia the first thing they asked me to do was lose 50 pounds. I hated everyone for it because it went against everything I stood for in music; my beliefs that it should never matter what you look like just how you sound and your presence.”

The full penned reflection is still posted on Altpress.com. The overall message of the reflection was not to talk negatively on Major Record Labels, as he mentioned what an accomplishent it is getting signed. However much of the memorable moments are the ones they controlled themselves being as close to a DIY band as possible, and not trying to please top executives that do not care about the music, just the numbers. I wanted to highlight the above line of his message though as I feel it's important to recognize that mentally harmful tactics, although not as large of a talking point, have occured with all genders in the industry.

For their third full length release, Valencia made their way back to I Surrender Records. “Dancing With A Ghost” originally featured 11 tracks. A deluxe version was released with 27 tracks as a 10-year anniversary album titled “Dancing With A Ghost (10 Year Deluxe Jawn),” another ode to Philadelphia.

Four more singles have been released by the band since 2018, with one of those being a Christmas record in 2020. Song titles include ‘Fall Before I Fold,’ ‘Pieces,’ ‘California/Rx,’ and ‘How Valencia Stole Christmas.’

So while Valencia has been a little less active as a band after reforming in 2016 then earlier in the career, they still bring plenty of energy and pop-punk hooks when they hit the stage. As you attend the Bamboozle Festival, mark Valencia down as a band you should not miss. They are sure to bring you back to the days of pop-punk glory, while containing excitement for what the future will hold.