R5 will be here 4U
The pop-rockers will be keeping it in the family when they play SoFla.
They’ve been a band for six years, and because they are four siblings and a family friend, everybody in R5 roots for one another, bassist Riker Lynch says.
But a crack might be forming, thanks to Riker’s success this year on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”
“Actually, Ross is getting a little bit jealous,” says Riker, whose band will perform Wednesday in Boca Raton. “People will come up to me, and say, ‘I voted for you,’ then run off. They used to come more to him.”
Ross Lynch, 19, portrays Austin in Disney Channel’s “Austin & Ally,” a popular show for elementary- and middle-schoolers. He won his third consecutive Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite TV Actor in March, beating out Jim Parsons of “The Big Bang Theory.” He also appears in the Disney Channel’s recent “Teen Beach Movie 2.”
Riker, meanwhile, is R5’s senior member at 23, and says more adults are recognizing him. He finished second on “Dancing With the Stars” on May 19, behind Rumer Willis.
Most important, he says, is that such appearances gain attention for the poprock band, which has an upbeat, pure-pop sound similar to One Direction’s.
“Any type of extra eyeballs, people wanting to know about you, is great,” says Riker, who also played a Dalton Academy Warbler on “Glee.”
R5 will begin a 30-city tour in Orange Park on Tuesday, and on Friday will release its second album, “Sometime Last Night.” Riker says the songs are more based on life experience, compared with their party-themed debut album “Louder,” but it’s still a summer album for people to sing along with as they drive.
The siblings grew up putting on shows in their Littleton, Colo., basement while in elementary school. Their parents moved them to Los Angeles in 2007 as Riker pursued acting. All sing, and Ross also plays keyboards and guitar. Rocky plays lead guitar. Rydel plays keyboards. Friend Ellington Lee Ratliff drums.
“We genuinely love being around each other and to hang out and play music is the coolest job ever,” Riker says. “We look up to bands like U2 and the Rolling Stones, and admire their longevity. I’d love for that to be us and have all our families and kids on tour with us. That’s the ultimate goal.”
Riker says none of the songs on “Sometime Last Night” is about “Dancing With the Stars.”
“But the one thing that ‘Dancing With the Stars’ did was get me into shape,” he says. “I’m grateful for the friends I made and the people I met, but it was really hard work, all day, every day.”
R5 will perform 7 p.m. Wednesday at Mizner Park Amphitheatre, 590 Plaza Road, Boca Raton. Tickets cost $26-$71.50. Call 561-393-7984 or go to Ticketmaster.com. NSortal@SouthFlorida.com