Another October

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. How many pop punk bands does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

I don’t have an answer for that. But count Another October out of the punchline. The band is made up of Chen Flakes, Zach Burger, Nick McAnallen, and Kaleb Lorrain. They hail from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and two of their most popular videos on YouTube are “Romeo Was Wrong” and “Remember.” The first is a standard pop-punk anthem, complete with catchy guitar riffs and scorned-lover lyrics. But, the latter is something completely different: a piano driven, almost haunting pure pop song, and it makes one wonder if there are perhaps TWO bands called Another October.

There is, in fact, only one Another October and the band has taken on a challenge that would make many in the music industry shake in their Chuck Taylors: change.

Lead singer Zach Chen admits that the band wanted to mature as they got older. “We wanted to turn this into something that five years down the road we’d still be into.”

So far, it seems like Another October has been taken a step in the right direction. Their first full-length album, Prefix, was released in March 2015 and their new harmony-driven sound has been gaining buzz both in the States and overseas. Stream it for free here.

The promotion strategy for Prefix? Another October will be releasing an acoustic video for six of the eleven tracks on the album. In an age where artists like Calvin Harris top the charts, it almost feels like a risky movie. But, explains Chen, “A lot of music is over produced and feels inorganic. We wanted to make something that felt real to us and not hide behind a track.” The first acoustic video they’ve worked on is “Remember.” Check it out here.

As for tour plans, Chen says the band is mostly taking on local shows around their native Michigan for now, but are planning to hit the East Coast soon.

“We treat every show like a serious sporting event,” says Chen. “The last festival we did, we ran through the city and did various physical and vocal warm-ups.”

Primarily, Chen explained, Another October is focusing on completing the acoustic video series first. “We really wanted to show we know how to play our own music,” says Chen.

But, they’re not so serious all the time. Zach Burger proclaimed the group’s collective love for Qdoba, their aspirations to sample Taco Bell’s breakfast fare, and the deep Michigan/Michigan State rivalry that sometimes divides the band.

The guys also enjoy connecting to fans through social media. “We use Instagram mainly because it shows a lot of behind the scenes and what we do on a regular basis,” says Burger. “Twitter allows us to DM our fans, talk to them, and see how they’re reacting to the transition.”

Though not their favorite social media site, Another October is also on Facebook. Burger calls Facebook a “necessary evil.” He says with a laugh, “Once the parents get on something, it’s time to go.” - Jenesis Magazine

Hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Another October are ready to steal your heart with their new acoustic video series, starting with the new rendition of the track “Remember.”

Streaming exclusively after the jump, “Remember” is nothing short of a beautiful acoustic interpretation of the band’s staple number. The video has incredible depth, whilst enlisting standup string instrumentation alongside traditional acoustic guitars, all topped off with a whirlwind of blissful vocal deliveries. The song comes off the band’s debut LP, Prefix.

The song is the first of a series of acoustic videos set to be released by the band — so be prepared to hear and see other tracks from the band take a new life in the series. Stream the track via Vevo below and leave your thoughts in the comments. - Under The Gun Review

Let's get back into the habit of sharing tunes, shall we? Another October is a four-piece pop band from Grand Rapids, MI, taking a new approach to their music. After some time off, the band is back with the premiere of their new song, "Remember".

Gabbie: You Guys took some time off to re-think who, Another October was, and what y'all wanted to bring into your music.

Chen: I would have to say that 'time off' is an extreme understatement. The band all but broke up and all of the members of the "Storage Stories" era moved on to other projects. The making of "Prefix" started the same as "Storage Stories" in that I had almost all of the music written before any other members joined. 'Remember' and 'Reattach' are are the only songs that were written around the same time as the EP. I had a year off to really think what direction the music should go. I wanted to focus on a wider audience and get out of the cookie-cutter pop punk we started with. I began studying different types of music and branched into genres that I've explored. You would not believe some of the demos I pitched to our producer. It The biggest change in the writing approach was really how the songs were structured. I focused less on how we would play them live and more on the finished product. We can always add parts live to change it up, but there are lot of "busy" parts on "Storage Stories" that overcomplicate a song, simply to give everyone something to do live. I had almost half of the album recorded before Zach joined the band. We reworked the music to fit his vocal style and he had input on a lot of the lyrics towards the end of the record. We had a couple of hired musicians track drums and bass on a couple of songs. By the time Nick and Kaleb joined the band, the rest of the album was pretty much completed. Shake It Off is the only track that was written and recorded with the current lineup.

Gabbie: Is this something you would recommend to other musicians?

Chen: It is imperative to take a step back and look in the mirror every once in awhile. I began noticing drastic changes in the bands that influenced "Storage Stories", most notably Fall Out Boy and Paramore. It is important to have faith in yourself and that your audience will agree with the musical shifts. You have to be able to roll with the punches and take risks.

Gabbie: We're premiering your new single, "Remember" on Buzznet today. I would say the video is relatable to anyone who has been in relationship. A lot of songs or videos only show one side, and you've manage to capture all sides to a relationship. Did you feel this was important to fully tell the story?

Chen: Our director really had a strong vision for the single. He didn't want to miss any detail. We didn't even make changes to his script. Music videos can make or break songs. It's important to capture the essence of the song in the video. A lot of songs are up to interpretation and the video really gave us me a chance to act out what I was thinking when I wrote the song.

Gabbie: Would you guys say this sound is a great representation of what's to come from your new album?

Chen: Kind of. We have a couple of curve balls on the new album that fans will not expect. "Remember" is definitely one of the most familiar sounding songs on the new album, but I would not say that it captures the overall theme. There is a lot more of an "electronic" vibe on the record. I wanted a couple of songs that would fit nicely into a club. "Remember" was written almost two years before some of the songs on the album. I believe the diversity will surprise our audience.

Gabbie: What song do you think the fans are going to gravitate the most to from your new record?

Chen: I think the club songs will go over well. Everyone likes a song they can dance along with. They will fit more occasions and reach a wider audience in general. - Buzznet

Introduce yourself and say your role in the band.

Hello, my name is Chen Flakes, and I am the frontman for Another October.

You've recently released your album, Prefix, how are the fans reacting to it so far?

It's been mixed. There are a lot of fans that are not used to our progression from pop punk into pop music. They miss our days of breakdowns, hot pink tank tops and terrible covers of metal songs. On the other hand, we are getting a plethora of new fans. The new style is easier to listen to and has reached a wider audience.

All the songs on Prefix begin with "RE." Why'd you choose to go ahead with that?

I wanted to incorporate a thesis into the idea of starting over. The motif of the record is doing something again and not being afraid of change.

What were the hardest and easiest parts about making the album?

Every record has its highs and its lows. The easiest were the songs I had been sitting on forever. "Remember" and "Reattach" almost made the last EP, but were too early in the preproduction phase. I was very excited to get them out. Our producer and I worked to build songs that are catchy and tried to hit a broad array of targets. I had a check list of things for the album and we hit almost all of them. That is why you will hear a variety of styles from hip hop to electronic to 80's rock. The hardest part was making it all flow together. It can be difficult to figure out how to blend songs that have little-to-no guitar in them with guitar-driver rock songs with a hair band solo in the middle. We cut out almost fifty demos during the recording process.

Which song was your favorite to record?

We joked that every song was our favorite as we were recording them. I would have to say that "Rebuild" was most memorable. I had written it back in 2008. I knew I wanted to start our second release with it and been sitting on it forever. It's a little more progressive than the rest of the songs and the boy-band bridge is my favorite part of the record.

What made you want to put an acoustic video out for your song "Remember?"

There were a lot of directions "Remember" could have gone. When I first wrote it, I thought we were going to transition into a country band. I wanted to give it an organic feel. There are several alterations that occurred during post production because they were too 'raw'. I am thrilled to show another side of the same story.

At shows, what song do you get the biggest crowd reaction from?

"Replay" is our biggest crowd pleaser at the moment. The electronic vibe gets the crowd moving. The solo gives Zach a change to shine as a guitarist. Because it is a cover, everyone recognizes it. It's usually a safe bet anywhere in the setlist.

If you could have anything happen at one of your shows, what would it be?

Taylor Swift has a tendency to feature random artists in her shows and she sings one of their songs with them. Having Taylor Swift perform anything with us would trump anything on our bucket list.

Where would you like to play a show that you haven't been to before?

I started this band to get overseas and play in South Korea. I was born in Seoul, and it would be surreal to get to play there.

Is there anything else you'd like to say?

After "Remember," we have a few more events on the horizon. We are in the early stages of working with some old friends on a song. There are a couple of fresh covers on the way, as well as a variance of some old tunes. Thank you very much for talking with us, we hope to do it again sometime! - Plugged In Promotions