Since Forever
Nashville, Tennessee, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Their story:
Pop quintet Since Forever came together to offer the kids of their hometown an alternative to the local music scene-and it has nothing to do with the Grand Ole Opry. "We wanted to give them something to listen to other than the predominant metal," says frontman Zach Easterwood. "We started out getting shows with heavier bands, but gradually we started getting offered bigger pop shows that came through town. It was only a matter of time before Since Forever were on bills with Bayside, Gym Class Heroes, and just a few months ago, a portion of their performance at the Rally for Rocketown charity event was broadcast on NBC's Footbal Night in America. "I have to admit," says Easterwood, "it was pretty cool to see ourselves on national TV.
Why you should know them:
Although they proudly proclaim themselves to be a pop band, Since Forever cover a wide spectrum thanks to Zach Easterwood's Alex Gaskarth-esque vocals and the chugging riffs of guitarists Brendan Johnson and Taylor Easterwood that often evoke A Day To Remember. If a weekend trip to Tennessee is rough to swing, don't worry: The band spent this past fall on their "Homecoming Tour," traveling to play at the houses of fans. "It gave us this great experience of meeting kids who would invite 20 or 30 of their friends," says Easterwood. "It's better than just playing to a few kids in each city." If you're still not sold, Since Forever perform weekly covers on their YouTube channel, ranging from a pitch-perfect rendition of Owl City's "Fireflies" to a ballad version of Cobra Starship's "Good Girls Go Bad." They even rallied their fans to vote for them to the top of this list-partially thanks to a video where Easterwood traded votes in exchange for getting his belly button pierced. "Yeah," says Easterwood. We try to do a lot of creative things on the internet." - Alternative Press Magazine.
Since Forever
HQ: Nashville, TN
Now Playing: "Welcome to the Nightmare Homecoming Edition EP"
The members of Since Forever assembled around a love for pop music, adding their own hard edge and massive sing along hooks. Instead of booking shows at the venues that cater to the 21-plus crowd in their hometown of Nashville Tennessee. they decided to take another approach. "We began booking house-party shows throughout the country," says frontman Zach Easterwood. "We figured if we could do it in Nashville we could do it anywhere." - Alternative Press Magazine
Discography
- Welcome to the Nightmare (Homecoming Edition)
- Nashville Knights (Single)
- Coast and You (Single)
- L.O.V.EP (10.19.2010)
Photos
Bio
The Facts:
* Released new single, "Coast and You," on iTunes 08.10.10.
* Voted the number 1 unsigned band in Alternative Press
Magazine this January in the 2009 AP Reader's Poll. (#1 in Hometown Heroes category voted by readers)
* Selected to play Vans Warped Tour Atlanta through the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands contest – July 2010. Over 14,000 bands entered and 4 bands were selected in each city.
* Selected to play Journey's Backyard BBQ in Nashville, TN – June 2010.
* Featured in NBC's "Football Night in America" segment on former Indianapolis Colts' Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy's involvement with Nashville's non-profit all-ages venue, ROCKETOWN.
* Played Red Gorilla Music Festival in Austin, TX – March 2010.
* Gives back to the fans by hosting events like Forever Fridays and routes tour dates around playing fans' houses.
* Has gained over 400,000 views on their YouTube channel where the band posts blog updates, live videos and their famous cover songs.
* From AP Issue #259: "...Since Forever perform covers on their YouTube channel, [including] a pitch-perfect rendition of Owl City's 'Fireflies.'"
* Has over 5,000 Twitter followers and counting.
* Partnerships with So So Happy and Skelanimals.
Music City USA certainly has a reputation for good music and Since Forever is no exception to that rule. Although Nashville is primarily known for its country roots, that’s not all that the city is ready to offer the world. During the past two years, the pop rock movement amongst Nashville’s younger crowd has grown from a handful of loyal fans to large-scale shows drawing over 500 kids. At the top of the pile in their scene, Since Forever has grown from small town band to a “Hometown Hero,” being voted the number one unsigned band in Alternative Press Magazine’s 2009 Readers’ Poll issue. The poll was voted on by fans and the band’s dedicated, and at some times rabid, fan base pulled through for them.
“Waking up the morning after Christmas and hearing that we had a full-page article in AP Magazine really made me realize that this was real. We were really doing this and big things were going to happen,” said Zach Easterwood the band’s hyper-active lead singer who has a reputation for climbing on top of speakers and hanging from rafters during the band’s live performances.
However, getting to this point wasn’t a short road. After a year and a half of playing to the Nashville crowd, taking gigs at churches and playing birthday parties to get their name out there, and documenting it all online, the band found that they had an emerging national fan base on their hands. They began to receive emails from fans who had seen footage on the band’s YouTube channel from their locally famous “House Parties” and they began to inquire if the band would visit their town and play in their homes too.
”We always thought of going on tour as dragging our trailer across the country and playing to 4 college kids in a smoky bar who didn’t really ‘get’ our music. We were trying to find that bridge that took us from 4 kids to 40 and were totally surprised when we found that answer in our fans,” said Eric Woodie, the band’s bassist and resident social networking guru.
The band decided to take the “House Party” concept on the road and booked “The Homecoming Tour,” playing fans’ houses from Florida to Maine, in the fall of 2009. The tour was a great success and allowed the band to not only get out of Nashville, but play to actual fans. “The best thing about house party shows is that one fan will invite 20 or 30 of their friends who end up really liking our music and becoming a fan themselves. You just don’t get that kind of response touring small clubs at our level,” said drummer Jason Friedman.
Since Forever has kept the House Party touring circuit alive and continues to play house shows for their fans. They have also kept their hometown fans at the top of their list by planning events like “Forever Fridays” where the band meets fans for ice cream or dodge ball in the park, and pre-show acoustic cover song sessions. Thanks to the band’s mentality of growing their fan base “one fan at a time,” they have been fortunate enough to gain an ever-growing fan base that has helped vote them into some pretty prestigious situations including winning a spot in the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands and playing their first Vans Warped Tour date in Atlanta this summer. In addition, Since Forever earned the opportunity to play the Journey’s Backyard BBQ Nashville stop, form partnerships with So So Happy and Skelanimals apparel companies and were featured on NBC's "Football Night in America" segment on former Indianapolis Colts' Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy's involvement with Nashville’s non-profit all-ages venue, ROCKETOWN.
Since Forever released the first digital single, “Coast and You,” from their upcoming EP on Aug 10 and will follow with the release of
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