Published: February 10, 2008 3:05 PM EST
By: Isaac Joseph Davis Junior (Juniorscave.com)
Alternative / Rock
Rock music lovers need not worried about the Rock genre. It is alive and kicking ass through the musical talents of OurAfter. This band has what it takes to make it big, and it shows with the release of their single, "Karma". The amazing part about this single is that it has been specially selected for the soundtrack of the independent film, Bloodlines, coming out to theatres this summer.
It doesn’t matter if you live in New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C, Florida Chicago, or any other city in the USA; OurAfter will rock your world. Check out this recent spotlight that Junior’s Cave had the pleasure to do with the band.
Isaac-Joseph: Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you guys. I wanted to first start off by asking you to give us a little background on the band and its beginning.
OurAfter: The band began back in 2004 if I remember correctly. Dudley and I were roommates at the time and I had just got into writing music. At the time, I was a musician for hire dealing with corporate, wedding, and club functions. It was great money, but it was honestly a little unfulfilling. I started showing him some of the songs that I was writing and he and I started to work on them together. A friend of mine that worked at a music store got involved with bass and an old friend of high school (Eli) was living out in L.A. when we gave him a buzz to lay down some tracks. Ironically enough, he became a member of the band. We quickly rose to be a major force in the N.E.P.A. region for original bands and we have been climbing ever since. We have also gone through a couple of member changes in the last two years, but it has always worked out for the better. Our last release was back in 2006. We still promote that album, but we need something new and fresh for the scene. Sometime in mid 2008 we should have a new one under our belt.
Isaac-Joseph: One of the reasons I feel your music is so appealing is that you guys really know how to rock. What are some of your inspirations for doing music?
OurAfter: One of our biggest inspirations is just the power of influence on another person. When you write a song and it holds meaning to someone else, that is the biggest reward a musician can ask for. When I was a kid and listened to some of my favorite bands (Alice in Chains, Tori Amos, The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins), those songs held meaning to me. Call it fate, but I felt that it was our turn to give that to someone else. Don't get me wrong, sales are great too, but they aren't always everything!
Isaac-Joseph: If you had the opportunity to collaborate with one group and one artist, who would it be and why?
OurAfter: This is a very tough question. There are so many great artists in the world, especially the ones that are undiscovered. If I had to pick just one, I would have to pick Tori Amos. While she is not in the vein of our what our music is, her depth and emotion is immeasurable. She remains one of the mysterious artists I listen to today.
Isaac-Joseph: Let’s talk about the single “Karma”. How do you feel about having this featured as a soundtrack for the movie Bloodlines? How did you prepare to make this song for the movie?
OurAfter: Ahh the gift of MySpace. The most hysterical thing is that the movie wanted the song, before we even released the CD! We had been on MySpace for about a month when all of a sudden this movie company got ahold of us. They were interested in using one of our songs for the movie. We met with them in NYC for a big Video Game competition that they were a part of and we rubbed elbows for the most part that day. A couple of weeks later, we finalized the deal and that was it. Let it never be said that Internet isn't a powerful tool.
Isaac-Joseph: Give us some insight on a day in the studio for OurAfter:
OurAfter: It depends on which day you catch us on! HAHA. It has been a little while since we have been in the studio, but we are prepping now for everything that will be thrown at us again. The best thing that I can say is that it is professional and emotional all in one.
Isaac-Joseph: What do you feel has been the biggest rewarding aspect about your career professionally and why?
OurAfter: Traveling is my favorite thing to do in the world. I love going to meet new people and see new places. This is the greatest reward when dealing with a job. I can never sit in an office day in and day out. There is a big world out there with so much art and culture. It is best to soak it all up!
Isaac-Joseph: When you are performing on stage, describe your feelings while you are on stage:
OurAfter: Our music is serious and moody, but we are all very happy and energetic to in front of people. I know how I feel at least when we are on stage; however, I would like to know what other people think or feel when we are performing.
Isaac-Joseph: What are you hoping to achieve with your music in 2008 that you have not done previously?
OurAfter: Our music style is a little different now. It has gotten a little darker and more aggressive to say the least. However aggressive does not mean heavier or more distorted; it simply means less uplifting. This album will be much different than the first one we released.
Isaac-Joseph: It takes a lot to work in a band especially when working with people who have different tastes in music. What have been some of the most challenging aspect about being a member of OurAfter? And how do you overcome differences between the members?
OurAfter: Being in a band is like being married to 4 other people at once. It all relies on two things, honestly and communication. These are pretty much like oil and gas to an automobile. Without either, it just won't run. With all of our influences and tastes, we all realize that the product that we are going to put out has to be digestible to the listener and also a good blend of the things that make us who we are artistically. I am happy to say that we always seem to get right on that page.
Isaac-Joseph: It is our Shout out time: Give props to anyone and everyone that matters:
OurAfter: I would like actually to give props to bands in our local scene. If anyone reads this, check out these great bands:
Panacea (Bloomsburg, PA)
The Drama Club (Wilkes-Barre, PA)
Ajar (Bethlehem, PA)
Ashfall (Scranton, PA)
Nowhere Slow (Scranton, PA)
The Swims (Scranton, PA)
Isaac-Joseph: Shameless Plugs and Final Thoughts from OurAfter:
OurAfter: Check us out at www.myspace.com/ourafter and watch for our new album coming out in 2008. Everything is available for purchase at CDBABY.com and iTunes.
