Studio B

04/24/20

DOORS: 5:00

All Ages

This event has been POSTPONED.
Please hold on to your tickets until a new date is announced.
If you can no longer make the new date, you may request a refund at that time.

Awake At Last

Both as a band and as individuals, Awake At Last continue to stand for positivity, spirituality, self-help and making an impact every single day. Returning with their debut full-length release, The Change, they have never sounded more confident, more energized, or been more determined to reach out to those who might be struggling in the world. “We pushed ourselves to our limits as songwriters,” states guitarist Imran Xhelili. “There is more variety on this record and there are songs that lean in a heavier rock/metal direction with other songs being a lot lighter and more dynamic. All of the choruses on this album have huge hooks, and there are more sections that are less guitar heavy and carried by different elements, like pianos and orchestral instruments. The lyrics are also more direct in how they carry across the messages we have always had at the forefront of our music.” While making waves with their previous output, this combination is the sound of a band who have truly come into their own, and this has been borne out in the critical reception, with Devolution magazine writing ‘Driven by a ‘nothing worth having comes easy’ spirit, full of anthems for self-belief, and a resource for self-help, Awake At Last’s solid soul-baring gem sounds young and fresh – and is full of encouragement to live, love and follow your dreams.’ From front to back, every song carries a message of hope. Having commenced writing for it even before the release of their Life/Death/Rebirth EP in 2016, the finished result is not something that came easily. “We all had demons we had to battle mentally and physically,” explains vocalist Vincent Torres. “You wouldn’t believe the pressure that comes down on you when you begin the process for a full length record. After we pushed through the turmoil and embraced the wonderful things that came as a reward it became pretty clear that what we had made should be called The Change. I think this is a perfect name, because it represents the spiritual evolution that we all went through.”

Having achieved a lot in 2018, including a stint on the final run of the Warped Tour – commencing the day after they finished tracking The Change – appearing on the iMatter Festival alongside Underoath and August Burns Red and opening for Asking Alexandria in Louisville, Kentucky, the band’s fifth year of existence has also been packed. Completing a successful tour with From Ashes To New and Palisades and playing INKCarceration and Rock USA festivals over the summer, this fall they are heading out on the Sirius XM Octane Accelerator tour with Ice Nine Kills, Fit For A King, Light The Torch and Make Them Suffer, which is sure to further raise their profile. Octane have already done a lot to champion the band – rounded out by guitarist Eric Blackway and drummer Jon Finney – giving four tracks from The Change extensive airplay, helping to get their core message of positivity out to the masses as they continue to place their fans first, and wanting to do all that they can to help improve their quality of life. “I want people to understand the symbiotic relationship between a band and its fanbase and I want them to feel like they’re along for the ride with us,” Torres states. “We are a band that is built on the foundation of endurance and perseverance, and nothing we’ve accomplished has been easily accessed. I want our fans to know that the reason we are able to live this dream is because they continue to support us and allow us to do so, but most of all I want them to understand that whatever it is that nurtures their soul can also be obtainable if they strive for it and believe in themselves.” Xhelili expounds on this, noting “As individuals, it can feel hard at times to find our own identity and our individual greater purpose. It all may feel rather heavy and bog us down constantly. However, we are here to take a stand and try to rise above all of that and be a respite for all of the darkness around us, as a shining light.” The casual listener also might be unaware of the interconnectedness of Awake At Last’s releases, with Torres explaining that there’s a deep-rooted storyline following a character on their journey through multiple lives. The Change in fact serves as a direct sequel to Life/Death/Rebirth. “The being who experienced the afterlife in Life/Death/Rebirth is reborn into a new vessel in The Change, but in order to interrupt the endless cycle of life and death they’ve been going through they attempt to imbue their new vessel with all of their cellular knowledge. They believed that by doing this the vessel in The Change could bring about a great revolution in the world and finally end the process so the soul may finally rest. What happens next is yet to be determined.”

Assuming We Survive

Rock n’ roll subculture is uniquely exciting in terms of the level of crowd participation, interactivity, and accessibility present at most shows. From the early days of the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, clear through to the Descendants and NOFX, the most passionate of players work hard to destroy the perceived boundary between the audiences and the band. “Hey, we’re just fans, too. You could be us.”

Assuming We Survive takes this ethos and amplifies it times infinity, barreling headfirst into each and every aspect of their existence with collective energy and unbridled optimism. Singer Adrian Estrella, armed with unmistakable charisma and good-cheer, will take a literal surfboard into the crowd, riding the physical and metaphorical wave of enthusiasm and electricity present at every single AWS show.

The band’s frontman is united in his goodwill and welcoming vibe with his musical cohorts and fellow Inland Empire, California mainstays: guitarist Phil Adams, guitarist Johnny Silva, and drummer Kris Pasos. Assuming We Survive has generated steady steam and garnered accolades for nearly a decade. But in recent years, AWS has truly come into their own as their dedicated approach spreads their sound across the globe, amassing an army of smiling supporters eager to give the band their all.

It’s a wave of momentum and positivity that has catapulted Assuming We Survive into the Top 50 on the New Artist charts and more importantly into the hearts and minds of a burgeoning crew of like minded supporters and believers, from the kids who share their love for the band on social media to the band’s contemporaries sharing stages with them at Vans Warped Tour, Self-Help Festival, and Monster’s Aftershock.