June 1, 2009 by Pat.

We started the evening off with a small cookout. Dan and Jaime cooked a bunch of hot dogs and hamburgers for everyone. It was a rare but, much appreciated treat. These people aren’t just friends they are also our family.

Vinnie, Pat and Chris spent the evening working out the kinks of recording with a click track. Who ever said click tracking is easy has got to be the best kind of liar. It started off like a nightmare but, we eventually got the scratch track down for “Sleeping Through September”. Once Tommy has his drums recorded the rest will fall into place.

The end of the evening was also a rarity. Everyone was happy and a lot of grins were going around. Lots of conversation. Needless to say, the night started off a little rocky, but in the end, we managed to accomplish what we seeked out to do.

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May 22, 2009 by Pat.

The title of this specific entry could be a little misleading but read on . . .

We broke into a brand new demo this past Tuesday evening. As the title of the entry states, the title of the new demo is called “A Little Bitter”. Tommy Tucker became quite the spectacle behind the drum kit keeping in the pocket in the soft spots and breaking through during the heavy parts.

This just in: Tommy will be the new drummer for Aftermath!

The band also worked on a few other new demos/ideas throughout the night. We don’t have any other song titles to announce at this time but, there are definitely some good ideas floating around at the moment musically.

Dan stopped by for a good portion of the night to film some more behind the scenes stuff for the documentary. Don’t be surprised if you see some possible footage to coincide with these entries here on the Aftermath website.

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May 13, 2009 by Pat.

We had two more drummer auditions this past Tuesday night. Both drummers had a unique personal quality and style. In other words, we did not make an instant decision yet because we would like to see what each drummer has to offer the band and which one will ultimately benefit the band and music we seek to make.

Dan shot about an hour worth of footage. Lots of auditioning footage, some bloopers stuff and some private discussion as well. Dan may not have been able to make it out to the studio last week but, he definitely made up for it with all the footage he took this week.

Note to all auditioning drummers : Choosing the right drummer is not going to be easy and we would like to thank everyone who has tried out for the position in advance. Even if you are not chosen it does not mean that you are a bad drummer, it simply means that you didn’t fit the description and style we are looking for. We wish everyone who tried out the best of luck in any future endeavors that may come your way. Again, the decision has not been made yet and please do not feel bad if you are not chosen. You have all been great and each one of you has a unique style of playing which is going to make our final decision a very hard one.

Brief note : Our thoughts and prayers go out to Freddie. Although Vinnie was the only one to meet him in person we still feel we should mention his name. For those of you who don’t know Freddie, we were in the midst of setting up a drummer audition with him but, unfortunately he passed away the night after Vinnie went to go check him out. Our sympathy goes out to his family.

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April 29, 2009 by Pat.

This past Tuesday night was supposed to be the night Aftermath plugged in to start arranging songs electrically. A turn of events prevented this from taking place and the band once again worked minority on a few songs acoustically the way they have been for the past several weeks.

Dave parted ways with Aftermath on Tuesday morning to pursue further education. We wish him well with his schooling and any future musical endeavors.

The band initially ended rehearsal early with the intentions of picking up where they left off the following week. Vinnie and Pat starting jamming shortly after with Bob, all of which were playing guitar. A very rough and early song development evolved from the jam session. There is no word as to whether or not the possible song will be worked on again but, it’s highly possible.

Tuesday nights rehearsal was not a totally wasted evening. Dan shot several brief moments from the rehearsal and some serious connections were made between the band members.

Next week, drummer auditions begin !!!!

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April 22, 2009 by Pat.

After a minor setback with Vinnie being in the hospital last week Aftermath pushed on yet again Tuesday evening. Dan couldn’t have named the title of the documentary any better. “Music . . . Against All Odds!” sums up everything and anything.

Despite the fact that things have been rough all around, the band still managed to get together minus Dave. Vinnie, Pat and Chris sat down for a quiet but, productive evening writing acoustically. Bob pushed record and everyone just jammed out and worked on some of the new tunes.

Highlights from Tuesday evening were “Like Butterflies” and “Perfectly Miserable”.

Afterwards everyone gathered together to watch episodes of behind the scenes footage of the documentary. Dan discussed a few things about the documentary while Vinnie explained to Bob about the upcoming recording process for the debut album.

Episodes 1 - 4 are now up on www.MusicAgainstAllOdds.com website.  1, 3, & 4 are about Aftermath while Episode 2 features PNC.

On a side note, We all hope that Dave’s orientation went well last night.

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April 9, 2009 by Pat.

Tuesday night (4/6)  marked the first full band rehearsal for Aftermath. Spirits were high and everybody seemed to just click instantly. Dave and Chris locked right in with the rhythm section allowing Vinnie and Pat to explore other avenues and to roam free within the writing process.

The band started off with the lead track “Sleeping Through September”. By the end of the night the song transformed drastically but, in a really good way. Keeping the guitar lines simple made this song stand out more than cluttering it with unnecessary lines. Dave, the drummer, made it a point to only come in with the drums when it was necessary and the ending result proved to be a good decision and benefited the song greatly.

The next song the band worked on was called “Ode”. The tempo definitely changed from it’s original conception and at this point in time there is no physical way to describe the drum beat and bass pattern. It’s something totally different and unique and that alone is going to make this track stand out on it’s own. From everyones stand point, Ode was the highlight of last nights rehearsal.

The two tracks that Aftermath worked on last night are far from being finished but, the turnout and overall feel of the songs, as they stand are heading in a great direction. Next week the band will begin working on two heavier tracks.

Although the band did not record last night Dan did get a good amount of footage for the
documentary. Alot of ideas and pointers were discussed throughout the night concerning the songs, structures, etc.

One a side note, We wish Vinnie a full healthy recovery.

Pictured above: Bob Shutter of Helderberg Studios and Vinnie C
“Next week, we’ll include still photography of all the band as I release
the Cannon Rebel!” ~Dan

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April 1, 2009 by Pat.

Things started off yesterday evening with an “ice breaker” discussion about the details of the documentary and the welcoming of Dave (Drums) and Chris (Bass) to Aftermath.

Seven rough acoustic demos were cut last night. These demos will be used for the purpose of gathering ideas and a reference for anyone in the band. Maybe somewhere down the line these demos will see the light of day or may be used for rare promotional purposes but, for now, they are strictly under wraps.

Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble but, wouldn’t everyone rather see a full band demo up on the MySpace media player instead of a rough dual acoustic demo?

For the time being the band/documentary meetings will be held on Tuesday nights out at Helderberg Studios. Dan will be shooting tons of footage and Bob will be recording anything and everything.  Who knows … Dan may add a little taste to a quick video of the night on an upcoming Music Against All Odds episode.  Make sure you check it out for new vids.  Below are 2 still images taken from his video camera:

Here’s to everyone involved with the band/documentary and those of you that will follow us through this entire process.

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