Life After Liftoff

    Pop-punk band, Life After Liftoff's name came to vocalist/guitarist, Lee Weiss in the form of a dream. "I usually keep a notepad by my bed for lyrics and one night the name came to me. I spent the next day figuring out what "Life After Liftoff" was going to be." Says Weiss. Band bassist and back-up vocalist, Jason Sigritz adds,"Even though Lee originally came up with the band name, I think it has taken on a meaning of its own for the rest of us. I personally think of it, as simply being a statement from someone that has made it through something traumatic in their lives only to discover that there is infinitely more out there."
    The music scene in Dayton, Ohio is home to the band and is filled with indie, metal, and hardcore bands. "We are definitely the odd ones in the area. Though I think that is refreshing to people in the area and that is part of why we have started to gain a foothold here. I would say we are very active in the local music scene, participating in festivals, contests and playing a local show at least once or twice a month." Says Sigritz. "We like to bring everyone together and really feed off the energy of great bands. We also like to incorporate belly dancing and cirque du soleil into our shows Jason and I are really flexible." Says Weiss.

    After Weiss thought up the band, he still had to form it into a real-life functioning band capable of realizing his vision. In late 2008, he posted up a flyer in the creative arts center of his college, Wright State University. Ryan Chatterton (guitar/back-up vocals/keyboard) answered to the flyer and brought along his friend, Dan Malloy on bass. Dan soon switched to drums after their original drummer quit and so the band brought in Jason on bass.
    The band has strong influences in pop-punk bands like Blink 182 and new Found Glory. "I would say the biggest influences to the bands are the members. You can hear what we are all inspired by come through in the music; the overall band sound can be derived from all the different bands we enjoy." Says Sigritz. The band mixes pop-punk, pop-rock, and arena rock to create their poppy, energetic sound. "Our message is positive and encouraging, and like most other pop/rock bands, we sing songs about love and relationships." Says Malloy.

    The band was able to play the Cincinnati date of the 2011 Van's Warped Tour alongside several national acts, including A Day to Remember, Relient K, Jack's Mannequin and many more. "It was a childhood dream come true! I have seen so many of my favorite bands play Warped that it was so surreal knowing our band was fortunate enough to be able to play alongside those bands and people really got into us!" Says Weiss. "It was incredible to be alongside a lot of the bands we grew up idolizing and imitating. I know it was a huge thrill to get to be backstage or on stage with bands like Relient K, Jack's Mannequin and so many others. It was also ridiculously hot that day, and I'm pretty sure most of us almost passed out from heat exhaustion." Added Malloy.
    On May 6th, 2011, the band released their EP, Memory of You, which was produced by Tyler Smith. "The EP is actually a small part of our final record; the idea was just to create great songs. I feel the EP is really upbeat and talks about the one thing that every human needs as a basic necessity which is Love, the link to human interaction and growth. Tyler Smith has become a really close friend of mine he is such an amazing songwriter/producer and just over all AMAZING person! Growing up in the Dayton music scene together and then coming together like we did was beyond anything I could have dreamt years ago." Says Weiss.

(Photo: Buckeye Music Magazine)

    For the band's next release, they hope to directly continue the story and themes from the first EP. "We're working with Tyler again, and branching out into new areas of our bands sound. I think with the success we've seen from the “Memory of You” EP, we know we have to really step up to take our second release to the next level." Says Malloy. The band will be releasing the new EP in the winter of 2012.
    So what's next for the band? The band will be doing lots of touring and hope to film a music videos. "We've got a lot of bigger shows and great opportunities coming up between now and 2012. We've got shows in New York, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Kentucky planned for October through December, including shows with, Yellowcard and Every Avenue! From the new year on you should expect to see us on the road more, and working our way up to being the first band on the moon." Says Malloy. Be sure to like the band on Facebook for tour updates and more!