Another Step Further

      Another Step Further, the punk rock band out of St. Charles, IL does exactly as their name implies. "We are taking music another step further, we are taking the messages of the music another step further. We don’t want to be just another typical band. We want to go past that. Every day, we become better musicians, and at the same time we're adding more meaning and passion to our songs. All of this takes us another step further towards our dreams."
      The band's agressive and distorted blend of punk rock blends in Bullet For My Valentine-inspired harmonies, metal-influenced rock/punk drum beats, a bit of double bass, and rough punk-style vocals with sprinkles of gang vocals and smooth backing vocals to create their dark, yet catchy sound, reminiscent to bands like Rise Against and Bad Religion. "Even though it’s a strong influence, we don’t just sound like another Rise Against. We have our own traits that make us different, even from our greatest influence. We're the only band of our kind in the local music scene. We aren’t defined by genre, we are only defined by the music we make. Because of this, we have a wide range of sounds, and that’s what makes us unique."

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      The band came together in the November of 2009 and was formed by bassist Andrew Stevens and guitarist/vocalist Keane O'Kelley. They found Josh Denson in the bathroom and he joined the band (He would later leave). They recruited Davis Cox on lead guitar and Grant Bonesetter on the drums to form the current line-up.
      Dystopia, the band's 7-track album was released in early 2011. The band says they have moved on from their first attempt and only play one of the songs off the album at shows. "It was basically a compilation of the first few songs our band had written in the past 10 months or so. Many of the songs were just cranked out without any significant meaning." Admits the band.

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      The band's local scene is overflowing with metal bands and numerous pop and punk bands and is home to many growing bands. The only problem is the lack of venues that are willing to let the bands play their loud music. " For a band in St. Charles, most of the bigger opportunities seem to be in other towns that are at least 20 miles away."
      The band tends to put on a loud, energetic show. "We don’t want to be another band who just stands on stage and gets the show over with. We enjoy it up there and spend every second giving it our all for the crowd. You can expect us to be playing with accuracy, but to be energetically moving around the stage as we put on the show."

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      The band has recently come out of a long show hiatus. After the band changed vocalists, they focused on practicing and writing new music for a new, full-length album and recording their single, Never Again, set to be released in August. "Every single new song we have written has been given our full time and effort; they aren’t just churned out mechanically. The band has undergone many changes in this break, and the new feel of the band is unified and clean, yet heavier while being more perfected and original. Not heavier as in metal or screamo, but more towards our original influences. If you compared our current sound to “Dystopia,” you would think it was a completely different band." Says the band.
      They hope to release the new album in early 2012 as long as scheduling and finances go smoothly. They have started booking shows in September and beyond. "We plan to have a decent show schedule with several every month until studio time."