hereafterthis

The Pageant in St. Louis is a popular music venue located in the Loop, a popular six-block shopping and entertainment district on Delmar Ave. Much like The House of Blues in New York, it’s THE place to play or dream to play at in St. Louis. For one local band, local to Kirksville (Truman students) and St Louis as natives, this dream comes true Feb. 5 for Ticketmaster’s New Music Spotlight event. I contacted the creator of the band, senior Jeremy Tripp, and asked him and the band to provide us with an insider’s scoop.

Band: hereafterthis
Current members:
Jeremy Tripp – guitar/vocals
Jon Todd – bass
Sean Kennedy – drums
Interim members:
Ross Carter – guitar/vocals
Becca Gainey – piano/vocals
Past members:
Katy Durrwachter – piano/vocals
Travis Kennedy – guitar/vocals
Created: July 2008

Alex: What was the inspiration for the name, “Hereafterthis”?
Jeremy: I was working on a project involving folklore from around the world, and I came across a book of English folktales and fairy tales. I randomly flipped through it … so it was kind of creased in such a way that it always wanted to open to this one particular story… The story was called “hereafterthis” by Joseph Jacobs. …

Alex: What is one really good story you could tell about the band?
Jon: – At the time, it wasn’t funny, but in retrospect, the most ridiculous band story I can think of would come from the first night of tour. … Sean and I decided to stay up and try to make to at least Ohio. (I drove the whole tour. At the beginning I made a bet with everyone that I could, so I had to prove it. It was a total of 4,500 miles. But it was worth it). Anyway, it was about 2 a.m., and me and Sean were the only ones up. There was this huge … Read More

Alex: Does the band have any funny inside jokes or quirks?
Inside jokes:
“Indiana’s a state?”
“We DOUBLE-KILLED it!”
Yelling at traffic in a New York accent
Quirks:
Jon plays better on off-beats than he does playing on the beat. Strange for a member of the RHYTHM section!
Sean: My eyes are almost always closed when I’m singing. Helps me concentrate, I guess.

Alex: Who are your inspirations?
Jeremy: We’ve all got our own personal influences and inspirations, so I can’t speak for everyone, but the one I know we can all agree on is Jesse Lacey of Brand New. < Jon agrees.

Alex: Describe your sound?
Jeremy: This question is always tough to answer. Mostly we find ourselves just repeating what others have categorized us as. Speaking in terms of genre, we fit well into the Alternative genre… At the end of the day, no matter what we’re called or labeled as, we want to be able to put our own CD on in the car and be able to rock out to it and enjoy doing it.

Alex: What was the first concert you went to at The Pageant?
Jeremy: First concert at the Pageant… was a Puddle of Mudd/Smile Empty Soul show that my mom had won free tickets to in some radio contest. I was 13, maybe 14. After we left … Read More

Alex: As a St. Louis native, what will this moment mean to you?
Jeremy: This is something I’ve been working toward for almost 10 years. To finally see it come to fruition leaves me deeply fulfilled. The Pageant is absolutely the highest-caliber venue a band like hereafterthis could hope to play in St. Louis. There is nothing above it – nothing better. Needless to say, I’m ecstatic. Stepping onto that stage on February 5 will almost certainly be a breath-taking moment.

Alex: You went on a mini tour, what was your favorite city and what venue did you play at?
Jeremy: No question: Long Island. We played in Amityville, New York … The show wasn’t anything special per se, but just the atmosphere of the area was spectacular.

Alex: What is your ultimate goal with the band?
Jeremy: My ultimate business-oriented goal is just like anyone else’s in my position, I guess. I want to live on my music. I don’t need to be rich, and the fame doesn’t appeal to me all that much, but if I could tour 300 days out of the year and play to people who pay money to hear me, I’d consider my life a success.

Alex: How has music impacted your life?

Jeremy: My more abstract goal with the band has always been the same. I write songs about my life and the events and people in it – past and present. I’ve made mistakes and I do my best to learn from them. When I can, I put what I’ve learned in a song. If I can write a song that affects the life of another person in a positive way, … Read More
Some self-evident truths:
a) For every one thing I think I know about music, there are a hundred things I don’t. I am continually learning, searching, digging, and absorbing and I think that attitude works to my advantage.
b) Ego is a dangerous thing. For every ten people who tell you they love your music, your voice, your lyrics, your message, it only takes one to bring you down – and that’s the way it should be – because at the end of the day, ten more people will be there to pick you back up.

To answer your question more succinctly, music is my beautiful world.

~ Jeremy Tripp, hereafterthis

Here are some important links you might find helpful:
hereafterthis.bandcamp.com – people can download our EP for FREE
www.myspace.com/hereafterthis - News 36 - Kirksville, MO

http://index.truman.edu/pdf/2009-2010/january21/page11.pdf - Truman State University Index