Nied's Hotel Band

Describe your band, telling a little about it. 

The Nied’s Hotel Band is a powerhouse recording and performing rock-n-roll band from Pittsburgh, PA. (USA). NHB delivers the hardworking, blue collar, muscle that has made Pittsburgh a legendary rock-n-roll city. The band includes some of the best-known and respected players in the region.

The band had its origins in 2003 when singer John Vento began a studio recording project that he titled “Nied’s Hotel” as a tribute to Jim Nied, proprietor of the landmark Pittsburgh tavern of the same name, which also was the source of inspiration for many of the songs. Vento, along with noted musician/producer Buddy Hall, began the process of bringing these new songs to life, coaxing amazing performances from an all-star roster of Pittsburgh musicians – Reb Beach, Kenny Blake, Pete Hewlett, B.E. Taylor, Norman Nardini, Tom Bellin, Joe Munroe, Scott Anderson and Jim Britton.

But no one had more impact than John’s primary session drummer, Ron Beitle. As the original drummer for Wild Cherry (“Play That Funky Music”), Ron brought his considerable drumming talents and gold record experience to the “Nied’s Hotel” project, released on CD in 2004.The next release, 2007′s “The Way That You Roll,” was again recorded with session players, but Vento, along with drummer Beitle, decided it was time to start performing this material at live shows. The new release was credited to “John Vento and The Nied’s Hotel Band,” but the live band line-up changed frequently while John and Ron searched for the right chemistry.

Along the way, some fine musicians became NHB alums, but none more important than singer/songwriter/guitarist Stephen Christopher, who left his mark by penning the songs “600 Under” and “Need A Lover,” which are still mainstays of the NHB live show. Then, in early 2009, Beitle recruited his life-long friend, Russ Oblinger (bass) to join the band. Russ had just returned to Pittsburgh after a long and successful career as one of Detroit’s best session players. With these two guys in place, NHB now had a tight and accomplished rhythm section.

The band began to fine-tune their sound and develop more original material. Within a year or so, Tim Hadley, Fred Delu, Ed Jonnet, and Jim McCullough had all joined the band. With a consistent lineup and a killer new sound, the band went to work writing and arranging new original songs and creating a live show that reflected the band’s powerful personality. By May of 2011, NHB was ready to make a real rock-n-roll album. No more session players, just a well-rehearsed band entering the studio to play and record as one. Basic tracks were recorded live at Vento’s Corbriwood Studios in West Deer, PA, followed by post-production and mixing at Buddy Hall’s Beacon Hill Studio. The results were released in 2012 as an EP called “Side One”.

Although pleased with the results, the band, having grown leaps and bounds as a performing, arranging and writing unit since their inception, wanted to try something a little different. The band enlisted Klint Macro, who had just moved back to the area after a successful career in the Los Angeles studio scene, to be their new engineer/producer. The band recorded all of their new material at Klint’s Cobblesound Recording Co., as well as re-arranging and re-mixing the “Side One” material. The finished full-length CD, “One Night Stand”, was released in July of 2014.

Unfortunately, upon its completion, drummer Ron Beitle and bassist Russ Oblinger decided to leave the band for personal reasons, with Bob Fetherlin and Frank DeCarolis, both accomplished players in their own right, stepping in to fill the void. Like any great rock-n-roll band, NHB prides itself on delivering high-energy, entertaining, live shows. The band has made a major investment in its live production sound and lights, and is blessed to have one of the finest and most professional crews around.

What are your names? / Who plays what? 

John Vento- Vocals 

Tim Hadley- Guitar 

Jim McCullough- Guitar

Fred Delu- Keyboards

Ed Jonnet- Sax

Frank DeCarolis- Bass

Bob Fetherlin- Drums

Have members played with any other bands?  John Vento (lead vocals, B- Men ),  Bob Fetherlin (drums; Craig King),  Frank DeCarolis (bass; Woo Hoo Band),  Tim Hadley (lead guitar; Jet Set),  Ed Jonnet (saxophone; Gregg Allman, Three Dog Night),  Fred Delu (keyboards; Roy Buchanan), and Jim McCullough (guitar, Shades of Soul & B-Men).

Do you write your own music or perform covers? Focus primarily on original music but also play covers of similar style   Has it always been this way? No. Originally, we were 100% original but as live shows grew so did the song selection.

What year did the band form?  2009 as live band, 2004 as recording project

Where is bands home?  Pittsburgh based

What's your style or genre?  Rock-n-roll with soul (white man’s Motown- lol)

What inspires your music?  Personal life experiences and passionate toward certain

How often do you rehearse? Twice a week

What gear do you guys use? Uggggg. Not sure about that one.  Need to ask guys

Do you utilize a booking agency?  Yes – multiple but we have a primary booking guy – jeff weinberg.  And what are your thoughts around that?  It’s great as long as you are represented by ethical folks

Are you looking for a label,no and what are your thoughts around that?  We record, publish, distribute all on our own label. 

Keep control.

What are your songs about?  LOL – too many about woman. Most though deal with mature subjects like addiction, life experiences, getting old, etc. it’s cool to be serious but I keep most of the heavy stuff on my solo material. www.johnvento.com.  NHB is a fun band, but we’re not afraid to deal with adult subjects like divorce, etc.

Do you start with the music or the lyrics? 

The music drives the lyrics/content

Do you compose in a certain enviroment? Alcohol

Have you done any covers live? Sure, many

What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs? Well ……last spring we did a gig in the middle of Beaver County where 10 people showed up.  Penguin playoff night….uggg.  Frankly though we normally play to big crowds , we are very lucky to have such support.

What ages are most of your concert attendants? 40 – 60 (the classic rock crowd)

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary?  We try to vary . but honestly we probably have played our core material way too long. We try to freshen up the show every few months.

Do you have a regular place you play live often?  Not really but …..Moondogs, Baja, Nied’s Hotel (summer only), Meadows are regular stops.  We also produce our own theater shows, The Oaks (Oakmont), The Lamp (Irwin) , The Strand ( Zelionople) plus we’ve been growing in Cleveland.

What was your first gig like? A train wreck !!!!

What was your latest gig?  Fabulous, packed house, high energy, the band is tight…..

real tight !

Have you had to cancel a gig? Yep….just last week. The venue was having serious financial problems

Where have you played live this year? Cleveland Hard Rock Café, Moondogs, Latitude 360 , Ramada Greensburg, Lamp Theater, The Altar bar,

Where do you plan to gig the coming year?

Fri. Mar. 18th - 7:30pm – 11:30pm – Lamp Theatre - w/ very special guest Spectrum (featuring Christopher Brozek)

22 Main St. Irwin PA 15642 (724) 367-4000

Sat. Mar. 26th – 8pm – 12mid – Headliners @ The Meadows Casino

210 Racetrack Rd, Washington, PA 15301 (724) 503-1200

Sun. Apr. 3rd – 2pm – 6pm – Baja Bar & Grill @ FCYC w/ special guest Zuzu Petals

1366 Old Freeport Rd., Fox Chapel, PA 15238 (412) 963-0640

Sat. Apr. 30th – 7:30pm – 11:30pm – Strand Theater –w/ special guests Noble Hops and The Shiners 

119 N Main St, Zelienople, PA 16063 

(724) 742-0400

Sat. May 7th – 7:30pm – 11pm – The Oaks Theater –w/ special guest Jessica Bitsura

310 Allegheny River Blvd, Oakmont, PA 15139, (412) 828-6322 

Sat. May 14th – 8:30pm – 12:30am – Lyndora Hotel – special guest Mary Lou Scherder

1 Main St., Lyndora, PA 16045 (724) 283-1289

Sat. May. 28th – 7:30pm – 12mid – Rocksino

10777 Northfield Rd, Northfield, OH 44067

Sat. Jun. 11th – 6pm – 10pm – Nied’s Hotel

5438 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, 

(412) 781-9853

Fri. Jun. 24th – 5pm – 8pm – Street Track N Trail – Motorcycle Rally

13723 Conneaut Lake, Conneaut, PA. 16316

(814) 382-4821

Sun. Jun. 26th – 2pm – 6pm – Baja Bar & Grill

1366 Old Freeport Rd., Fox Chapel, PA 15238, (412) 963-0640

 Fri. July. 1st – Kennywood

4800 Kennywood Blvd, West Mifflin, PA 15122

Mon. July 4th – TBA – Big Butler Fairgrounds 

1127 New Castle Rd, Prospect, PA 16052

Sat. July 9th – 6pm – 8pm – Lock 3 - Opening for “Satisfaction” – Rolling Stones Tribute

200 South Main Street, Akron, OH 44308

Fri. July 15th - 97.7 Rock Station–Band Jam

205 Currie Rd. Slippery Rock, PA 16057 

724-368-8710

Thu. July 21st - 6:30pm – 9:30pm

Commercial Ave, Aspinwall, PA 15215

Sat. Aug. 6th – 6pm – 10pm – Nied’s Hotel

5438 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201

(412) 781-9853

Fri. Aug. 12th – 9pm – 1am – Ramada Hotel & Conference Center

100 Ramada Inn Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601, (724) 836-6060

Sun. Aug. 21st – 2pm – 6pm – Baja Bar & Grill @ FCYC with The B-Men

1366 Old Freeport Rd., Fox Chapel, PA 15238, (412) 963-0640

 Sat. Aug. 27th – 1pm – 4pm -Three Rivers Harley

1463 Glenn Ave., Glenshaw, PA 15116 (412)-487-3377

Wed. Aug. 31st – 6pm – 10pm – Nied’s Hotel – 75th Anniversary Party!

5438 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201

(412) 781-9853

Fri. Sep. 2nd - 8pm – 12mid – Headliners @ The Meadows Casino

210 Racetrack Rd, Washington, PA 15301, (724) 503-1200

Sun. Sep. 4th – Corbriwoodstock Music Festival (Festival 12noon-10pm, NHB time TBA)

36 Corbriwood Lane, Gibsonia, PA 15144Sun. Sept 18th – Syria Mosque outdoor pavillion – The Band Together Pittsburgh 1st Annual Music Festival 

1877 Shriners Way, Cheswick, PA 15024 (724) 274-7000

Sat. Sep. 24th – 7:30pm – 11pm – The Oaks Theater

310 Allegheny River Blvd, Oakmont, PA 15139, (412) 828-6322

Sun. Oct. 2nd - 2pm – 6pm – Spirit Hall – Hosted by Skipp Barr to honor the Nied’s family  

242 51st St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201 (412) 586-4441

Sat. Oct. 22nd – 7:30pm – 12mid – Moondog’s

378 Freeport Rd, Blawnox, PA 15238, (412) 828-2040

Sat. Nov. 19th – 2pm – 6pm – Baja Bar & Grill

1366 Old Freeport Rd., Fox Chapel, PA 15238, (412) 963-0640

Fri. Nov. 25th – 7:30pm – 11pm – The Oaks Theater – w/ special guests The Shiners & Highway 4

310 Allegheny River Blvd, Oakmont, PA 15139, (412) 828-6322

Sat. Dec. 3rd – 7:30pm – 12mid – Moondog’s

378 Freeport Rd, Blawnox, PA 15238

(412) 828-2040

Sat. Dec. 10th – 6pm – 10pm – Nied’s Hotel 75th Annual Christmas Party @ Teamster Temple’s Thomas L. Fagan Auditorium

4701 Butler St. Pittsburgh, PA 15201

(412) 781-9853

Sat. Dec. 17th – 7pm – 11pm – Fox Chapel Racquet Club – Optimist Christmas Fundraiser - w/ special guest The Compadres

355 Hunt Rd, Pittsburgh, PA

When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? 2011, CD’s T-shirts, cups, etc

Where can people buy your merchandise? Only at shows

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? I hate it but we all have to get used to it , that’s life.  We are offering “free downloads” on our web site for a limited time . www.niedshotelband.com

How do you think the music industry have changed because of this?  OMG…YES  !!!!!  sad, very sad

Do you have any role models or idols? 

Van Morrison, Eric Burdon(The Animals), Harry Chapin (who I met)

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today?

I would say both. Of course I love the old guys, that’s what I grew up on but there is a great deal of wonderful music today from young artists like Ed Sheeren.

What have been your biggest obstacles? Time & money

What advice would you give other bands or artists?  Stick to what you do best and don’t listen to outside voices. Follow your heart.

How do you get psyched for a gig? I really don’t get psyched. I just try and connect with the audience and I believe in our music and the performance.  It’s part of who we are and what we do.

Do you have any new material?  Yep – brandy new https://youtu.be/pUPV4lpHb88

What are your web sites?  www.niedshotelband.com

Social media addresses? 

www.facebook.com/NiedsHotelBand

What are your plans for the future? Keep creating new original music plus continue to mature and “work the craft’

What do you think of my work?  We all appreciate what you and others like you do to support and promote local music. It seems like a  tremendous effort on your part so I have no doubt that your heart is in the right place.  Thank you!

How do you think that this interview could help you in the local music scene and beyond?  It will expand our potential audience, but more importantly because of your work we get credibility.

What is one thing even your biggest fans don't know about the band?  We are really transparent, need to think about that one………..

Do you have anything to add?  Yes. Can I plug the new charity that we are supporting ? Band Together Pittsburgh.

Absolutely! 

Eldorado Band

Describe your band, telling a little about it.

The Eldorado Band, is a rockin' - country band with powerful vocals, blazing guitars, honky tonk piano, and a tight rhythm section. Combined with a state of the art sound system, lighting, and crowd-pleasing show, this band is one you won't want to miss. The Eldorado Band was formed in December of 2003, by five of Beaver County PA's best musicians. A strong desire to create original music, "true to the artist" covers, and an upbeat, exciting, fan friendly stage show drives this five piece outfit. Hard work, dedication and determination best describes The Eldorado Band. Strong lead vocals and ringing harmonies, along with a clean, smooth professional sound are earmarks of this country powerhouse. Tone filled guitar licks and tasteful piano chops are just a few more reasons why many believe The Eldorado Band to be one of the hottest country-rock bands in the region.

What are your names? / Who plays what?

The lineup consists of Ronnie Herbert on vocals, acoustic and electric guitars and harmonica; Jeff Paul on electric guitars, banjo and vocals; Joe Feick on piano, keyboards and vocals; Todd Tusick on bass guitar and vocals; Todd Pfister on drums and percussion;  Rich Roy on the sound board; and Jason Buffington on roadie duty! Marie Herbert handles a good bit of the behind the scenes work including; contracts, secretarial, booking and merchandising.

Have members played with any other bands?

Yeah! We’ve all been playing for many years, Joe, Jeff, Todd P and I (Ron), played in the last version of the popular Skeeter Hill Band. Other bands are Fine Line, Mydus, Pyramid, the guise, several acoustic projects, way too many to mention!!

Do you write your own music or perform covers?  Has it always been this way?  Yes, we have a few originals on a rough cut demo CD. Some of which we recorded in the WDVE studio in Pittsburgh. We’re mostly a cover band with our originals sprinkled through our set! We’ve always written songs, and record when we get a chance.

What year did the band form? 

December 2003 was our inception!

Where is bands home?  I would consider us a Beaver County Band. Everyone was either born or is a transplant to Beaver Co.. Joe lives in Marshall Twp., PA now but was originally from Ambridge.

What's your style or genre?

I like to call us “Rockin’ Country” That is, we are a mix of top country, southern rock and classic rock.

What inspires your music?

We love strong vocal harmonies and melodic instrumentation. We enjoy blending our vocal abilities into a rich solid ringing tone, then enhancing it with quality solo’s and a rock solid rhythm section.

How often do you rehearse?

We try to get together once a week, but sometimes it’s tough ‘cause we all work day jobs.

What gear do you guys use?

Jeff uses Fender and Marshall amps, Gibson, Fender, and Gretsch guitars along with a Martin acoustic. I (Ron) have Gibsons, Fenders, a Takemine acoustic and also a couple Martin acoustics. I (Ron) use Blackstar and Mesa Boogie amps. TT plays a Music Man Bass and TP uses Premier Drums. Joe uses Roland and Yamaha keyboards.

Do you utilize a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that?  Tough subject, we’ve tried several agencies, but always end up doing things on our own.  It just seems to work out that way.

Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that?  Not really looking for a label. We all just enjoy playing and are satisfied to stay regional. Not to say we’d turn an opportunity down!

What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs?  We’ve done some pretty nice sized gigs, not arena size, but decent. We play some 100 seat venues too! 

We love ‘em all!

What ages are most of your concert attendants?

Probably 8 to 80!! In the summer we play lots of fairs, festivals and family type events where there are a lot of kids, and older folks. We also do a lot of bar gigs with the twenty somethings and up!

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary?

We change our set up regularly to suit the venue 

and the type of crowd.

Do you have a regular place you play live often?

Sure, lots of regular gigs! Jergel’s Rhythm Grille,  Kendrew’s Lounge, Whiskey Rhythm Grille, Luanne’s Rt. 68 along with a bunch of outdoor venues and festivals we play every year!

What was your latest gig?

We just played Whiskey Rhythm in Monaca, PA

 last weekend!  Always a great time there!

Have you had to cancel a gig?

We take pride in never cancelling.  I would have a hard

 time remembering the last time we cancelled.

Where have you played live this year?

Jergel’s Rhythm Grille, The Meadows Racetrack and Casino, Whiskey Rhythm Grille, Kendrew’s Lounge, Luanne’s Rt. 68, New Brighton Eagles, Beaver Falls Turners to name a few!

Where do you plan to gig the coming year?

All of those same venues along with 

our extensive summer outdoor schedule!

When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale?  We started about 8 yrs. ago. We sell t-shirts, spaghetti  tops, v-necks, bandana’s, ball caps, cool camo shirts, window stickers, bracelets and more.

Where can people buy your merchandise?  We sell our merch at our live shows. There is almost always a display!!

Do you have any role models or idols?  Yeah, we love Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray, Vince Gill, Hank Jr, Skynyrd and more

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today?

We’ve always seemed to find inspiration from the older bands. The music just seemed more pure and it has always been very natural for us to lean that way.

What have been your biggest obstacles?  Just keeping everything afloat. Booking good paying gigs and keeping us working.  The promo side of the business is a tough one for us too.  We are kind of self-sustained, and there is a lot of things most people (not in the business) 

don’t realize need to be done.

What advice would you give other bands or artists?

I always say, “Just keep at it”. Work hard and be patient. It’s not an easy road for any band to survive the jungle out there.

What are your web sites?

www.theeldoradoband.com

How can people reach you?

theeldoradoband@comcast.net

724-843-2426

Social media addresses?

www.facebook.com/TheEldoradoBand/

What are your plans for the future?

We just want to keep making 

great music and performing live.

What do you think of my work?

I think it’s fantastic!  You are helping so many bands out there get noticed!  Awesome job!

How do you think that this interview could help you in the local music scene and beyond?  It’s great to let the folks who don’t know us, have a chance to learn a bit about us, and maybe get out to a live show and see what we’re all about!

Do you have anything to add?  I know it’s pretty rare to be in a  band that has lasted 12 plus years.  To have the same 5 band members as when we started is very amazing.  We are blessed to have this great group of guys to call friends and band-mates!  We love to play music and perform, and that comes in second only to pleasing the people who come out to support us!!  Eldorado Nation is alive and well, they are the best!!  Thank you for the interview, I enjoyed it thoroughly! 

Keep up the great work!

Best Regards,

Ronnie H. & The Eldorado Band

After the Fall

Describe your band, telling a little about it.

Our band's name is After the Fall.  We are a 4 piece hard rock band from Pittsburgh, PA.  The band itself has been around since 2004, with only the bassist and the drummer as the remaining founding members.  Since then, they've gone through some lineup changes over the years on vocals and guitar, but the current lineup has been in effect for about a half a year now.  The sound has changed a bit over the years as well, but it's never deviated too much from the hard rock/metal sound that they started with.

What are your names? / Who plays what?

Doug Carnahan- vocals/guitar

Matt Ferrante- drums

Steve Craven- bass

Zac Shepard- guitars

Have members played with any other bands?

We have all played in bands prior to playing in After the Fall.  Steve and Matt have been in a few bands together over the years, first Hybrid and then Super Xero, and presently After the Fall.  The guitar player, Zac, was in a band called Stratega before joining After the Fall.  I (Doug) was in a few bands prior to After the Fall as well, D.U.I. and A Guilty Revelation.  

Do you write your own music or perform covers?  Has it always been this way?

We've always performed original material for as long as I know of, with varying degrees of covers thrown in over the years.

What year did the band form? 

The band initially formed back in 2004.

Where is bands home? 

The 4 of us live all over western PA, but as a band we hail from Pittsburgh.

What inspires your music?  Our music is mostly inspired by real life situations, although there have been a few songs that I've written from more of a fictional standpoint.  As the band's lyricist, I've found that it's easiest for me to write about things that I know about firsthand, or have experienced firsthand.  A lot of people like to write about things that they've never personally experienced, I myself have found that my best work comes from feelings that I have had experience with throughout my lifetime.  

Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that?  We would ideally like to sign to a label at some point in our career, but we also don't want to rush it either.  With the current state of the music industry, the internet has made possible a lot of what you needed a label to do even just 10-15 years ago.  We can broadcast our music out there to everyone in the world, allow people to purchase it anywhere in the world, connect with fans, etc.  These are things that you needed a label to do for you, or help you with before, but now any band can do them.  A label still has a purpose, but now it's more for when you're ready for that stage of the game, that's when they step in (hopefully).  So, when the time comes that we require a label, we'd like to sign to one, as long as it's the right situation for us.

Who does the composing and writes the lyrics?  Do you start with the music or the lyrics?  I (Doug) write all of the lyrics for the band.  As far as composing goes, that comes from a few different places.  Either I'll write the majority of the song, the guitar parts, vocal melodies, arrange it, and then I'll bring it to the other guys for them to add their parts to.  Then there are times that either Zac or myself will have a riff to start with, then the entire band will just kind of build from that.  Those are the two most common ways that we've used to write most of our songs.  I'd say a good 99% of the time, the music comes first.  In order to write good lyrics, I want to hear what kind of theme the actual music itself has, then I write the lyrics accordingly.  Does the music sound sad?  Happy?  Angry?  Once I determine what kind of song it is that I'm dealing with, that's when I start working on the lyrics.  I think there have been a few songs where I might've started with a sort of phrase, or certain words, but that is definitely the minority of the time.

What ages are most of your concert attendants?  The people who attend are concerts are a variety of ages, which is what makes what we do great, because we get to see a 15 year old girl rocking out right next to a 35 year old guy!  These two people, who would normally have nothing in common, are here to share an experience, and it's the music that brings them together!  I've always believed that music has that sort of power to it, it can transcend borders, languages, even ages, to bring many people, from many different walks of life, together and give them something in common, even if only for that brief period of time!  But to get back to the original answer, we've seen people of all ages, nationalities, and genders attend our shows, and to be honest, we like it that way!

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary?  We try to vary our set list from show to show.  We're starting to get to the point where we have a bit of a back catalog with our past two CDs that we've released, plus we're constantly working on new music, so with that, we try to keep our sets fresh at our live shows.  We're also constantly adding covers to our live set to keep it fresh and keep the audience guessing.  We've all never been fans of the bands who continuously play the same songs in their sets, year after year, which is why we are constantly working to keep our sound evolving and to keep our cover selection rotating.  We do have the staples to our set, both cover and originals, that are always going to be a part of most sets that we play, but even those only number a few songs, the majority of our set is always changing and evolving.

Where do you plan to play this year?

We have a lot of cool shows coming up!  We'll be playing at The Elbo Room in Chicago in June, we'll be out in Akron, Ohio the weekend after Easter, we've also got some cool local shows for this summer too.  As many people already know, Matt and Steve are the founders and the brains behind the Rock for Life concert series.  The concerts have been around since the early 2000s, but have grown considerably over the years.  The proceeds from these concerts go to help local children and families in need of assistance with medical costs.  They pick two kids each year and donate the proceeds of the concerts to the families after the year's over. 

What band merchandise do you have for sale?  Where can people buy your merchandise?  We sell all kinds of merchandise!  First off, we have two CDs that we have released over the past two years, our 2014 EP, and My Confession, a full length album.  Both are available through our Facebook page by messaging us, at our live shows, and the digital copies are available at most major online retailers, such as Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Spotify, and more by going to your favorite music retailer and searching the name of our band (After the Fall) and the album title that you're interested in.  We also have tee shirts for sale, which are also available by messaging us on Facebook, or at our live shows.  We also sell hooded sweatshirts as well.

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days?

How do you think the music industry have changed because of this?  I think that the music industry has changed quite a bit over the years since streaming and downloading have become people's main method of consuming music.  Personally, I think that streaming and downloading are great, I am a music streamer (I have a paid subscription) and downloading (purchased).  Now, I enjoyed CDs quite a lot, and was against the streaming model when it was first introduced.  However, over time, I've seen how it's a LOT more convenient, is cheaper, and gives you access to almost every song ever recorded.  So, as a consumer, I'm all about streaming.  As a musician, it's more of a slippery slope.  As a lot of people will already know, there's a fight going on between musicians and Congress over the current streaming model and it' payout structure.  As it stands, musicians (and not just independent ones either) are receiving very low payouts from these streaming services.  The current average rate is $.004 per stream.  Think about that, that's really not that much.  Now, all I've ever asked out of life is to be able to earn a modest income at doing something that I love.  Sure, being rich and famous would be nice, but it's not something that I necessarily "need".  One might argue that I don't need it, but at the current going rate from streaming, I couldn't even earn a modest living, unless I were to accrue astronomical amounts of plays.  I understand that there are a lot of people out there who don't believe that you should have to pay for music.  To that, I would say "That's fine, but you get what you don't pay for.  You like Kanye West, Drake, etc?  Because that's who you're going to be getting more of until average artists can start at least being able to eat and pay rent via their music."  There are also major upsides to being a musician in the post internet era.  One of them is obviously the easy publicity.  With the internet, now all you need are some good recordings and a Facebook or Reverbnation page and you're set.  You wanna get the word out about your new release?  Ad agencies of all kinds are just a click away, and they're not just for Hollywood hotshots either!  It's also easier to plan shows, and even tours now, because just as you're more easily accessible to the world, so are a lot of the venues!  You can contact a venue via email, plan and set up a show, and just arrive on the day of the show (there are other steps in between, obviously) all without even speaking to an human being on the phone.  If that's not easier than the old way, I don't know what is!  Lol!

Do you have any new material?

We're constantly working on new material!  We actually have a few new songs, one of which we've played out a few times now and people really seem to enjoy it!  We also have one more song that people haven't heard yet, but we'll probably be busting that one out at a show here soon, I'm sure!  Ideally, we'd like to have another album, or EP, out sometime in the near future, possibly even start working on it this year, if all goes well!  As many of you know, our last guitar player, Brandon, left us last year.  It was a very amicable split, but getting Zac in here and up to speed took us some time.  We wanted to come out swinging and not just rest on our laurels that we earned from Brandon's time in the band.  We knew that the writing process might take a little time to hit on, chemistry is very important in that process, and we also wanted it to flow organically, we don't believe in forcing songs.   Now that we're where we need to be with Zac, I think that people can expect to see, and hear, a lot more new material coming from us in the upcoming months!

Where can you be found, ie your websites/ social media sites?

www.facebook.com/afterthefallbandpa 

www.reverbnation.com/afterthefallband

www.twitter.com/AtFbandrocks

You can reach us by messaging us on any of those platforms.  For booking inquiries, please contactatfmatt@hotmail.com or duiband@gmail.com  You can also check out www.fuentertainmentrocks.com for more information on Rock for LIfe, and the local music scene here in Pittsburgh in general.  

What are your plans for the future?

Our plans for the future include trying to reach some new areas of the country and to expose as many people as we can to our music!  We also, as I said before, want to write and record some new music here very soon!  Those are the immediate plans, as for the long term, we just want to keep kicking as much ass as possible!

What do you think of my work?

I think what you're doing for your local music scene, and others, is great!  Keep up the great work, and thanks for having us!