Local musicians are riding 'Another Life' to success in Hub and nationally
Published on November 9th, 2005
Four Stoneham residents find themselves listening to the recorded demands of local disc jockey's who commonly advise "don't touch that dial", prior to the commercial break.
But that's not because they're riveted to the popular tunes airing over local radio waves; rather, the four lifelong Stonehamites just know they're not going to hear anything better on another station.
Yearning for a return to rock music that doesn't include incomprehensible screaming lyrics or pop-music style themes that leave the imagination in a permanent state of hibernation, former Stoneham high graduates Brian Berman, Christopher Vasques, and Jon Denison dreamed up Another Life.
"A lot of bands do all this hard core screaming. But these guys are more about way-back music like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice and Chains, and Pink Floyd," said Jason Webber, another Stoneham resident who serves as the locally borne rock bands' manager.
"Nothing has really happened since the grunge-era," opined Berman, who plays guitar. "We want to bring the soul back into music. We're just looking to get good music back on the radio waves. All these wannabes playing right now, you'll hear them for a couple of years and then they disappear."
According to the four hometown musicians, their love for grunge and alternative style music essentially stems from what was popular during their upbringing in Stoneham. But as for their dedication to music itself and the musical-style Another Life adopted, that came from a single dedicated music teacher at the Stoneham Middle School.
Specifically, the four Stoneham residents all attribute their musical ears to former middle school teacher Tony Maceli, who has since moved to New York state. Taking the youths under his wing - and often during his own time after school - it was Maceli who first introduced the local residents to jazz and the blues.
Culminating at a middle school field-day activity of sorts, that personal instruction birthed the future musicians' first public performance, an event all the band members remember well.
"He introduced us to jazz and the blues and spent the time with us after school to teach us the classics," said Berman of Miceli's personal instruction prior to the performance. And then, we played six or seven songs [at the field day]. It was a really big thing for us."
"When we were in high school, we were in this Boston Pops crew and we would go around to elementary schools performing," added drummer Jon Denison, explaining how those first musical roots expanded into their high school, college, and current careers.
According to the four members of Another Life, their music is riddled with touches and hints of the jazz and blues era.
And since the foursome believes that type of music actually had something important to say, those influences pipe right into their opinion of the present-day music industry.
"The jazz influence gave a lot more influence into what we were doing. That feeling associated with jazz and the blues [is what we're looking for]," said Berman.
According to the group's band manager, although the rock musicians suffered a minor setback to their plans to reintroduce a classical taste to the radio waves when their former lead singer left, they have since found the perfect compliment to their mission.
"Well they've been playing together for four years," Webber said of the Stoneham four. "But six-months ago, unfortunately, their lead singer left the band. But they have since found this genius named Aaron Smith from Waterville, Maine."
"I want people to understand the words so they can interpret our music how they want. With all this screaming that you hear, you can't understand what they're saying," said Smith of his approach to music.
Recently returning from a forum in Montreal, Canada, the members of Another Life received high praise from three judges - who also advised the rock band on how to better their musical appeal.
Already streamlining that constructive criticism into their music, Another Life can now be seen all around the Boston area, including the Middle East n Central Square, Cambridge. The group will also perform at the Skybox bar in Somerville on November 25.
To learn more about Another Life, interested residents can log on to their Website at www.anotherlifeonline.com.
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