Life After liftoff

As seen on the 2011 and 2012 Vans Warped Tour and in Journey's Shoe Stores, Life After Liftoff (Dayton, Ohio) bring back 90's pop-punk with catchy hits.

Hailing from the same stomping grounds in Dayton, Ohio that bred modern rock sensations, The Devil Wears Prada and Hawthorne Heights, Life After Liftoff is emotionally uplifting with their hybrid vibe. Founder and front-man, Lee Weiss, captured this idea in three words: “alien pop punk.”

When Weiss’ previous band, Maintain Composure broke up in 2008, he had been seeking a completely new musical direction. On this new journey, Weiss was looking for band-mates with similar background and creative vision, he found the perfect element in Jason Sigritz (bass, backing vocals, and keys), Ryan Chatterton (guitar, backing vocals, and keys), two fellow music students at Wright State University located in Ohio, and Dan Malloy (drummer and backing vocals). There are other unique connections: Weiss and Sigritz attended the same high school in Ohio, Sigritz and Malloy worked at Guitar Center and coincidentally, Malloy and Chatterton had been playing in bands together for years.

It wasn’t easy at first emerging with a punk-influenced sound in a town that was more into other forms of alternative rock, but over the past few years leading to the release of their EP Brand New Life, they’ve been making a powerful impression. To help build a buzz, Weiss let members of a handful of prominent bands check out some of Life After Liftoff’s strong early demos, and the band now counts among its biggest fans and supporters: Tom Delonge of Blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves, Jordan Pundik and Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory, Paramore lead vocalist Hayley Williams, and Jack Barakat and Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low. They’ve also won the heart of Nick Thompson, front-man of Ohio based fellow pop/punk band Hit the Lights.

“We all love recording and writing,” said Weiss, “but the real energy happens when we’re out there performing, giving people the opportunity to hear our music, creating catchy songs, blending a punk foundation with pop sensibilities are just the beginning of what we’re trying to convey. Life After Liftoff started with the idea that if you look around the world and you are in a bad place yourself, you have the power to change your own circumstances as well as the world around you. Having the opportunity to get that message out there is a humbling thing for all of us. Our hope is that people walk away from our shows inspired and feel there is hope to make changes for the better in the world.”

Today, LAL is pushing the limit to end bullying once and for all. They have paired with national organization, Defeat The Label, to help promote a bully-free society without labels and stereotypes.