After the Tragedy | Main

Formed in the small town of Cabot, Arkansas, progressive hardcore kids After The Tragedy are on a mission to use music to spread hope. This is their mission statement:

"At some point in everyone's life they will experience some form of tragedy, whether it's a death in the family, terrorist attack, weather catastrophe, or getting fired from the job expected to be their career. Eventually, the victim always turns to faith in something; a look to something bigger than one's own life. The realization that all the money, cars, sex, and stuff that this generation tells us we must have means absolutely nothing in the grand scenario of life. After the tragedy we find hope in the fact that death is not the end."

Wielding deadly melodic hooks, virtuoso shredding and psychotic energy, their mission is well underway. After forming in August 2003, singer Joel, bassist Ron, drummer Kody and guitarists Jon and James independently recorded and released their full-length debut entitled The Beautiful Brand New in April of 2005. With an LP under their belts, they set out across the Midwest on a do-it-yourself tour of basements, rec halls and wherever else they could plug in. The payoff is legions of fans all across the country, a gig with Yellowcard and public enthusiasm that finally matches the band's.

So why are they still unsigned? Ask James, the guitarist: "We're not going to sign our lives away when we're doing fine on our own. It's going to take an offer better than what we can do for ourselves." So far, with hope, luck and the wind at their backs, what they can do for themselves is pretty hard to beat.