I Am Alaska are an always improving band from Doylestown, PA, which is home to many of the up-and-coming bands in today’s music scene. The band used to be signed to Attic Records and had a distribution deal with No Sleep Records, but are now working on a DIY agenda. I Am Alaska released their third EP, So They Say, just last week. 
For Fans Of: At The Drive-In, Thursday
Responses From: Drew Magid

How did the band come together? How have you grown since you guys started?
We started the band a few years ago. I was in my first band, and making friends with bands in our area. We played with a band called Phineas and I became good friends of theirs. I was really discontent with the music my band at the time was doing and i shared this with the guitar player of Phineas and it turned out he felt the same way. We started coming up with ideas together and started a side project to do music we both liked. We were just on the same page and I clicked with his guitar style, so we demoed some songs and decided we wanted to do the project as our only band. I look back at the demos and see a lot of growth, our first 2 EPs were us figuring out what we wanted to do. I think with our new EP we found who we are, and focused on editing, and really just fine tuning things when before we didn’t and I think it shows with these songs.

What do you have to offer that other bands don’t? What sets you apart from a
lot of the other newer bands out there today?
I think we offer something different than most kids are used to hearing. Our sound isn’t particularly like a lot of what is popular right now, so when we play shows kids usually, wonder what the hell is this? But the cool thing is we have experienced a lot of people who have never heard of us and enjoy what they hear, and i think that’s all you can really hope for. So i guess the real thing that sets us apart is that our musical style isn’t what is popular, but it adds diversity for kids who go to the show and presents them with something they’d usually never check out. Which i think is cool.

How is the live show compared to the general sound of material that’s been released?
We try to make our live show as close to the recording as we can. Intensity when playing is something I love. I’m really inspired by Fugazi, At The Drive In, Joy Division, Nirvana and other bands live shows, people who have energy when they play or who you can feel what they’re playing at the show. Playing well live is definitely something we try our hardest to do.

More times than not, influences tend to bleed through. What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Our band has a very eclectic taste. But I think we all agree on bands like Nirvana, At the Drive In, Fugazi, This Day Forward, The Beatles, Brand New and a whole lot more.

What would you say the band has already accomplished and what do you have your eyes set on next?
We’ve accomplished some touring and we put out two EPs, but I think our eyes are set on touring as much as possible, and just getting the music out there. We have our new EP coming out in March, which we’ll be touring on through the summer, and focusing on writing more songs. We want to keep busy and do what we love while we can, and hopefully some kids will listen.

Thus far, what’s a favorite memory or something quirky that’s taken place with the band (in-studio, onstage, or elsewhere)?
I think my favorite memory is from tour. We played in Watertown, NY this past summer and had a day off after our show. Our friend Dustin had a house near Lake Ontario and had us stay there with the band we were on tour with and we just cooked out, went swimming in the lake, spent time with our friends there and just had the best summer day youcan imagine. Just a day where you really felt alive. And I think for me moments like that are what reminds despite a lot of the stress of being on the road/being in a band it’s worth it.

Is there anything in particular that you’d like people to take away from
listening to your music?
I would like people to give it a chance, I’m really proud of this EP and I hope people can hear what was put into it and enjoy it.

Check out I Am Alaska on Bandcamp, Facebook, and Twitter

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