Park

(Also the moniker of Lo-fi pop musician Andy Dierks)

Park was started by high school friends Justin Valenti and Jon Heupel. Justin met Jon in a class at high school while searching for another guitarist for his band, The Anti’s. The Anti’s played a number of shows but after a short while they broke up to persue different projects.

Jon and Justin stuck pretty close and would frequently record songs onto tape in Jon’s basement. They soon recruited drummer Eric Lipe one day as luck would have it. After practicing a few times and seeing how well the three clicked Eric proposed to name the band Park for no particular reason. Thus Park was born

At their second show they played with another local band called “Dirty Sarah”. After the show one of the members of Dirty Sarah asked Jon if they needed another guitarist/singer. Jon excitedly nodded and made arrangements for the four to practice. His name was Ladd Mitchell.

The four quickly wrote an onslaught of songs and began to play whenever and wherever they could. After about 3 years and a couple tours Jon decided to call it quits and moved away to college. Ladd, Eric, and Justin continued playing for a short time as a three piece before Eric decided he was going away to college as well. So the three decided to end it there.

About six months later Ladd was asked by a friend named Miles Logan if he would be interested in getting together sometime to jam. Ladd refused time and time again until he couldn’t take the annoying motherfucker anymore. Ladd invited his friend Timmy Costello, formerly of “The Timmy’s”, to come with him to Miles for a jam session. The three would get together twice a week and jam out and whatnot.

But before long the three were interested in getting serious. Ladd contacted a California based Label, Lobster Records, who had previously been interested in Park before the breakup (due to a demo Justin had sent to them) and asked if they would be interested in hearing a new ex-park band. Lobster said they would love to hear the new stuff but were really interested in Park.

Later on that night Ladd called his old bandmate Justin and asked him if he wanted to continue doing Park with Miles and Timmy. Justin agreed to it, as did Miles and Timmy. The four practiced ritually and in April of 2000 they drove out to audition for Lobster Records. To make a long ass story short, they got the contract and and released the album NO SIGNAL on October 9th. 2001. As of March 2002, Timmy Costello left the band and Gabe Looker filled the spot on bass.

With the release of “No Signal”, PARK embarked on a yearlong non-stop North American tour, three times around. They then went home to write songs and returned to California for the recording of "It Won’t Snow Where You’re Going", produced by Cameron Webb, released in November 2003. This acclaimed album surged through the souls of Park fans worldwide with its dark, hard mood. PARK went on the road again, and did the US three times in 2004. After releasing "It wont snow where you´re going", Alex Haycraft filled the spot on bass.

The new album Building A Better _______ will be in stores July 25.

On February 3rd 2007, Ladd formally announced that he wants to start a family and that Park is offically breaking up. They played their last show in their hometown of Springfield, IL May 5th 2007.