Mayday Parade’s Alex Garcia on the Warped Tour, Building an Audience and Guitar Gear | Inside the Noise (S3, E7)

Mayday Parade guitarist Alex Garcia has seen the music business change dramatically over the band’s two decades—from selling CDs outside the Vans Warped Tour and engaging fans on MySpace to today’s social-media-driven landscape.

Backstage at Vans Warped Tour 2026, Garcia joins Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto for Inside the Noise to discuss those early days, the importance of live performance, songwriting influences and why his touring rig has evolved from amps and cabinets to a Neural DSP Quad Cortex.

Sneaking into the Vans Warped Tour

Before Mayday Parade joined the Warped Tour as one of the featured performers, the band followed it around to sell CDs.

“It was such a fun summer,” remembers Garcia. “We were selling CDs and spreading our name around. We were able to make money to pay for the CDs, our equipment and everything. But we did sneak into the Warped Tour a good amount before we were actually on it. I’m glad [Warped Tour promoter] Kevin Lyman didn’t hold it against us. The security is a lot better these days.”

Turning Social-Media Attention into Real Fans

Garcia sees social media as essential to today’s music business, but it doesn’t build a fanbase all by itself.

“You can have success on social media, but if you can’t translate that to the live setting, I don’t think you’re going to be as successful,” he says. “Ultimately, I think that’s what really matters—a physical connection to an audience.”

Following “Masters”

When Garcia seeks inspiration for songwriting, he still embraces the artists who originally moved him.

“I always go back to what I call the ‘masters,’” he says. “Noel Gallagher from Oasis is my biggest inspiration. But I also listen for new bands, and I get obsessive about it. Like, if I hear something while I’m shopping, I have to Shazam it and put it on a playlist. Ultimately, I focus on what really resonates with me. Don’t complicate it. Just do what you feel inside.”

Minimizing Gear on the Road

“It used to be I had to have an amp, cabinet and all this stuff,” admits Garcia. “Now, I literally just need a guitar and a Neural DSP Quad Cortex amp modeler and I can play anywhere. I’m not going to lie—nothing is going to beat my 1981 Marshall JCM 100 for feel. But amp modelers win for ease, portability and consistency.”

Why Mayday Parade Made Sweet, Sad and Sugar

“We all write a lot,” explains Garcia about the band’s trilogy project—which kicked off with Sweet (April 2025), Sad (October 2025) and this summer’s Sugar. “Every time we go into the studio, we have double the material we need and we have a hard time picking which songs should be on an album. We thought we could play to our strength, which is making a lot of music, by releasing a lot of music—which is what the fans want. So, we went, ‘Let’s just make a multi-part album.’”

Get Even More Wisdom from Alex Garcia

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