Thanks for tuning in to round 2 of "Talent Talks with Taylor." Last month, we discussed the Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer. This month, we're going to talk about a band that covered their song "She Looks So Perfect" when they toured down under earlier in 2016. This is my favorite band of all time and I can't wait to share my thoughts with you about them. So, without further ado, let's talk about the sibling bonds of the band R5.
Who is it?
R5 is a band consisting of siblings Ross Lynch (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Riker Lynch (bass, vocals), Rocky Lynch (lead guitar, vocals), and Rydel Lynch (keyboard, vocals) alongside best friend and Rydel's boyfriend Ellington Ratliff (drums, vocals). The Lynch siblings were originally from Littleton, Colorado, but moved to Los Angeles when Riker, the oldest, was 16 and wanted to start a career in the entertainment business. The family all packed up their things and moved. They have been landing TV and movie and commercial roles since they were young. Riker and Rocky then met Ellington at The Rage Dance Studio and invited him over to play random jams, and they said they felt something magical happen.
In case any of you are confused, the "R5" part comes from all of their names and then Ellington's last name, Ratliff. Originally, the youngest Lynch sibling, Ryland, was going to complete the band, but he didn't find passion in it like the others did. Instead, he became their unofficial "manager" and went on to be a DJ, opening for his siblings on their tours.
You may recognize Ross from his roles Austin Moon in the Disney Channel original show "Austin & Ally" and Brady in the Disney Channel movies "Teen Beach Movie" and "Teen Beach 2." He can be seen in the upcoming films "My Friend Dahmer," where he plays the infamous serial killer, and "Status Update," from the director of Zac Efron's "17 Again." He also starred in a production of "A Chorus Line" where he sang a glorious song about gonorrhea.
Riker is known for his role on the hit show "Glee" as Jeff the Warbler. He also competed on season 20 of "Dancing with the Stars" alongside pro dancer Allison Holker. He came in second place behind Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy. He has a role in the upcoming movie "Colossal Youth." Riker and his brother Rocky were both also in an episode of "The Wedding Band," as background dancers of the group Just'a Krush.
Ellington also played a role in a popular TV show that he isn't entirely recognized for, even though it only was in the first five minutes of one episode. Does anyone remember the pilot episode of the Nickelodeon show "Victorious?" Does anyone remember how Tori was doing a project with a classmate and then her sister came in so she ended up kicking him out? Yeah, that guy was Ellington.
Oh, and to make matters cooler, the Lynches and the Houghs (i.e Derek and Julianne from "Dancing with the Stars") are cousins. I guess talent runs in the family.
When did I start liking the artist?
Okay, so this story is kind of complicated. If you read my last "Tuesday Talent Talks with Taylor" (the link is at the top of the article if you haven't yet) where I discussed the band 5 Seconds of Summer, I mentioned that I began obsessing over a different band than them at first. R5 was my first obsession when it came to music and bands. But the thing was, I refused to like them.
I began listening to them when the first episode of "Austin & Ally" debuted in December of 2011, but this was when all of my friends began to obsess over Justin Bieber. I thought the obsession was annoying and told myself I'd never be the person to do that. So instead of succumbing to the urge to like R5, I pushed them away. Fast forward two years when I heard their debut album for the first time and it was instantly on my playlist. I would listen to them literally every single day from April until December 2013, and that was when I finally allowed myself to like them as people and for their music.
Have I seen the artist live?
May 29, 2014 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
My first time seeing my favorite band in concert and my first time meeting them and I looked like a rat. I also had a wrapped knee and a scraped up elbow because I crashed on my bike three days prior. But no matter, I still had the time of my life. My mom came with me (shocker) and I ended up in the front row right beside Riker's microphone. You can even see me in some of their official tour pictures. Also, you can click this link for one of the most iconic R5 tour moments ever that I got to witness from the front row. I'm still dead.
July 20, 2015 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
I'm not even exaggerating when I say that this concert changed my life. I got to the venue about six hours before the Meet and Greets even began, so it gave me time to get a last minute tan and to calm my anxiety of meeting them for the first time in a year. What I didn't anticipate was making friends in the line. I began talking to the group of girls ahead of me, including the girl in the greenish shirt in the above pictures. That girl is Becky, she's from New Jersey, and she's my best friend. I thank R5 so much for letting me meet her, even though they only indirectly helped. Then, we were both front row at the concert and Ross high fived me during their song "Easy Love" (skip to 0:17 to see it). I was in even more official tour pictures than the last time and a clip of me and Becky even made it into their movie "R5: Live at the Greek Theatre." The fun didn't end once the show was over though. Becky, myself, and another girl named Olivia travelled to their tour buses and waited for them to come out until one in the morning. Riker came out to talk to us, after having some glasses of champagne, and then they left. What made matters even better was the fact that to this day, the band still considers this show to be one of the greatest they've ever done. The whole band tweeted after the show that it was one of the best shows ever, and Riker talks about it all the time, tweeting the night of something I can't exactly type and tweeting a remembrance of it on the one year anniversary. They all even agreed in an interview that this show was the one that stuck out to them the most on their 2015 "Sometime Last Night" tour (skip to 2:47 to hear the moment my heart jumped out of my chest from happiness). To have been a part of that show makes my heart melt into a puddle of emotions.
March 8, 2016 - Cleveland, Ohio
....
Before you say anything, please note that the bottom picture is in no way photoshopped. I barely even know how to photoshop. This is an actual picture of me on an actual stage with the actual Ross Lynch.
I know, I'm crying too.
Anyway, this concert was so spontaneous that I wasn't even supposed to go. Then, two months before the show, they released more Meet and Greet tickets and I got one and went. I didn't have or really make any friends at this show, so I was thankful that my mom bought a ticket and chilled with me during soundcheck; she loves watching R5 concerts. Anyway, the story of how I got on stage with them will definitely make this article too long, but when they called my name, I started shaking so much that I didn't think I could do it. Then, Riker helped me on the stage and gave me his microphone and told me to stand by Ross so I did. Then they talked for a bit before beginning the song "Things Are Looking Up," and two seconds in, Ellington came over and plopped his stool down next to Ross for me to sit on. Long story short, I made it through the whole song with only one mess up and without breaking into tears or falling over due to excitement, so that's a pretty big accomplishment all on its own.
What is my favorite song by the artist?
I'm a sucker for sappy love songs even though I don't even have a love life. I love listening to songs with sweet lyrics that make my heart melt. "Could Have Been Mine" is that type of song and it was never even released on an album (I could only find a slightly sped up version). R5 wrote and recorded their second album but scrapped it because they weren't feeling it, and fans have speculated that this song along with a few others were on the original album but because it was thrown away, this song didn't belong on it. I love this song not just because of the lyrics and melody and catchiness, but also because of the memories I hold with it. When Becky and I (from the July show) reunited this past summer, we listened to this song every day. So now, whenever I hear it, I think of my best friend.
Why do I like this artist?
As cheesy yet stupid as it sounds, R5 literally changed my life. Their personalities are so great and they just make me so genuinely happy that I can't help but smile every time I even remotely think about them. I want to keep this section short but just know that this band consists of my favorite people in the entire world who make great music and don't take the position they're in for granted.
Final thoughts
R5 really does not deserve the bubblegum pop Disney stereotype they've been cursed with. I'll admit, their first album hit that mold, but listening to their sophomore album Sometime Last Night really made me believe that they had matured past their Disney roots. If you really want to start liking a new band, I highly suggest this band.
