DATE: FEBRUARY 21, 2023

FROM: MARCEE RONDAN/MITCH SCHNEIDER

ELSEWHERE,
THE PROG-LEANING ALT/POWER-POP/NEW WAVE TRIO,
RELEASE STIRRING VIDEO FOR
“REALIZATION”
FROM
‘LIFE…IS A FRACTION’ ALBUM

READ A SONG-BY SONG INTERVIEW
WITH THE BOSTON-BASED BAND’S
MICHAEL AROIAN

Prog-leaning alt/power-pop/new wave ELSEWHERE–led by frontman and guitarist Michael Aroian and drummer Adam Soucy–have today (February 21) released a new video for “Realization” from their musically adventurous and evocative concept album LIFE…IS A FRACTION. This new video follows last year’s release of the album’s three singles: “Call You Out” and “The Pledge” and “Diagnosis.” Read a song-by-song interview with below with Aroian, who writes the songs with Soucy.

ELSEWHERE have created a compelling video that seeks to capture the essence of the song and question how organized religion impacts life amidst a personal crisis. It was directed by Bill Fulkerson and features live performance clips and haunting religious imagery.

MICHAEL explains, “At its essence, ‘Realization’ is really about illumination and the idea people can’t and won’t accept being duped by institutional corruption. While some of the imagery and lyrics–like ‘They’re not with Christ, they are lice!’–might evoke an anti-Catholic sentiment or interpretation, this is not the intention. All three members of the band were brought up in Catholic families and I think can in some way opine on the idea of hypocrisy in religion. The core of the song seeks to call out the lies of ‘venerable’ organizations and how they ultimately exploit the people they are purporting to serve. We won’t stand for it anymore and neither should you and as such we’re taking our lives and the definition of truth back!”

For their third album, ELSEWHERE worked with producer and long-time collaborator David Minehan (Replacements, Aerosmith). LIFE…IS A FRACTION weaves together a fascinating, semi-autobiographical narrative about how our perception of time shifts as we grow older. Days, months, and years seem to speed up…until a frightening, life-changing diagnosis–and being forced to face mortality–changes everything once again. The record is based on the cancer diagnosis Aroian received several years ago which served as a defining point in his life.

As the protagonist wanders through life before being brutally confronted with his own mortality, he explores various options–face it, embrace it, defy it. Through it all, LIFE…IS A FRACTION teeters precariously on the edge of sanity. “When I was diagnosed with cancer, I experienced this first-hand,” says Aroian. “My denominator was reduced. I now literally live it every day. Time is indeed fleeting and the sooner we realize this, the sooner we can take control and live each day to the fullest. The tragedy is not that this is happening to us, but that we might not learn from it or do anything proactive or meaningful about it.”

LIFE…IS A FRACTION shows the band reaching a creative zenith (all in a hard-hitting 34 minutes); it’s an original rock epic that shakes the foundations not only of what everyone’s come to expect of the New England trio, but also of the lives of everyone who listens. Musically, it was influenced by front man Aroian’s lifelong passion for Rush and particularly their 1978 classic album Hemispheres, as well as the early Genesis catalogue. After the main 10-song cycle, the album ends with ELSEWHERE’s most recent singles from 2020-21, “Call You Out” and the aforementioned “The Pledge.”

Elsewhere: “Life…is a Fraction”
Song/Chapter Outline
By Michael Aroian

Michael Aroian

I.) Restless

In the intro of the whole epic, the character is just kind of going through the motions. But there are hints that he or she is noticing that time is passing them by quicker than it used to. It’s a gateway to the whole concept of what “Life…is a Fraction” is about.

II.) Origin Story

“Origin Story” finds our protagonist essentially at the beginning of his/her mid-life crisis. However, instead of anxiety and bitterness, there is more of a sense of contemplation and resignation. Perhaps certain goals have yet to be attained and may never be, but in a weird way there is peace.

III.) In Search of the Unknown

This track is basically an instrumental with only a dozen words give or take in the lyrics and this is by design as we felt that the urgency of the music was what was really telling the story here. I think on some level, when we are going through this life journey, we might have a moment or two or three when we are literally speechless (which is why a mainly instrumental track fits here).

IV.) Rolling On

The unknown on some level leads to aimlessness and borderline disillusion. A weary middle-aged traveler of time grows tired of the daily rat race. What’s happening with that character is they’re just kind of going through the motions again.

V. Diagnosis

This installment of the album follows our protagonist from the streets of indecision and disillusion to the hospital, where they learn that they have contracted a potentially fatal disease. At that point in time, this “diagnosis” changes their life forever and crystallizes the notion that time is moving incrementally faster each day as their denominator (the number of days in a lifespan) is jarringly cut short.

VI.) Realization

Following our protagonist’s initial shock from their diagnosis and the realization that time is now rapidly running away, they are filled with indignant rage. For years, they tried to do in their life what society dictated as they were told that as long as there was compliance, everything would work out. You can trust in God unequivocally. At the end of it, the protagonist decides to take control of his own situation and not depend on religion per se.

VII.) It’s Happening Now

The protagonist believed they are no longer an idle “passenger” but a “messenger” that’s uncovering something new. In this section of the epic, the protagonist almost fashions himself/herself as a prophet and is euphoric with their near discovery and new sense of purpose…but not in an egotistical or self-important way. They really want to try and help people.

VIII.) Reflection

This track is one of contemplation and the understanding that the wider concept is ultimately beckoning our protagonist to fully grasp it’s meaning. It’s almost like the notion of a butterfly. Like being born.

IX.) Interlude 8-9/Transformation

By our protagonist accepting that every day is faster than the next, they are in essence gaining full mastery of the concept itself. And while on some level, there is abject powerlessness, there is also power. The power of knowledge that fractional time perception is happening to the protagonist and to all of us.

X.) Finale/The End of Everything

In this conclusion the protagonist has finally self-actualized within the notion he/she has discovered. What they can do is now live their life the way they want and not waste any more time. And at the end of all of this for us is of course…the unavoidable. The message: take the knowledge you have and use it so you can live your best possible life and actually affect positive change.

About ELSEWHERE:

Describing themselves as a “prog leaning alt/power-pop new wave band,” Boston based power trio Elsewhere’s single “Don’t You Believe Me Baby”–a dynamic cover of a long overlooked, previously unrecorded early 80’s Police song–has scored hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, and streams on Spotify and landed the band a full page story in the Boston Herald. Their 2018 EP Multi-Man includes three equally fiery originals penned by frontman and guitarist Michael Aroian. The EP was followed by the “banthem” (ballad/anthem) “The Pledge,” which broke important ground by tackling the often-taboo subject of Alzheimer’s Disease; the song was mixed by Grammy-nominated producer Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Pink, Elton John). Elsewhere initially achieved notoriety for their now out-of-print album Outbound, which earned them slots at the College Music Journal (CMJ) Marathon and numerous showcases in NYC where major labels showed interest. The band later achieved an international breakthrough with their widely acclaimed 1981 album in 2010. In addition to Belgium, where they received a write-up in one of the country’s biggest rock magazines (Rock Tribune), they became popular and received great press in Germany, Denmark, Norway, UK, Italy, Czech Republic and other countries—all while continuing to hold court at top clubs in their home base of Boston and NYC.

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | SPOTIFY

DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2022

FROM: MARCEE RONDAN/MITCH SCHNEIDER

ELSEWHERE,
THE PROG-LEANING ALT/POWER-POP/NEW WAVE
BOSTON-BASED TRIO,
TO RELEASE THIRD ALBUM
‘LIFE…IS A FRACTION’
ON NOVEMBER 4

Prog-leaning alt/power-pop/new wave Boston-based trio ELSEWHERE–led by frontman and guitarist Michael Aroian and drummer Adam Soucy–will release their musically adventurous and evocative concept album LIFE…IS A FRACTION on November 4. This follows the release of the album’s two singles: “Call You Out” and “The Pledge.” The track listing follows below.

Michael Aroian
Photo Credit: Christine Paige

For their third album, ELSEWHERE worked with producer and long-time collaborator David Minehan (Replacements, Aerosmith). LIFE…IS A FRACTION weaves together a fascinating, semi-autobiographical narrative about how our perception of time shifts as we grow older. Days, months, and years seem to speed up…until a frightening, life-changing diagnosis–and being forced to face mortality–changes everything once again. The record is based on the cancer diagnosis Aroian received several years ago which served as a defining point in his life.

“I became cognizant of relative time in my 30s,” Aroian says. “The idea behind LIFE…IS A FRACTION is that at any age, we have only lived a fraction of our lifespan. When you’re five, you’ve maybe lived 1/16^th of say, 80 years. When we’re children, life events seem to take much longer because we’ve only lived a very small part of an average life. In this fraction, the numerator is the number of days you have lived, and the denominator the total number you will ultimately live. In the story we tell on the album, as in my own life, the protagonist’s denominator is potentially cut short by getting sick. It sped everything up, and he, like I, was suddenly able to see time move. The more days that go by, the faster time seems to go as we rapidly approach our denominator.”

As the protagonist wanders through life before being brutally confronted with his own mortality, he explores various options–face it, embrace it, defy it. Through it all, LIFE…IS A FRACTION teeters precariously on the edge of sanity. “When I was diagnosed with cancer, I experienced this first-hand,” says Aroian. “My denominator was reduced. I now literally live it every day. Time is indeed fleeting and the sooner we realize this, the sooner we can take control and live each day to the fullest. The tragedy is not that this is happening to us, but that we might not learn from it or do anything proactive or meaningful about it.”

Adam Soucy
Photo Credit: Christine Paige

LIFE…IS A FRACTION shows the band reaching a creative zenith (all in a hard-hitting 34 minutes); it’s an original rock epic that shakes the foundations not only of what everyone’s come to expect of the New England trio, but also of the lives of everyone who listens. Musically, it was influenced by front man Aroian’s lifelong passion for Rush and particularly their 1978 classic album Hemispheres, as well as the early Genesis catalogue. After the main 10-song cycle, the album ends with ELSEWHERE’s most recent singles from 2020-21, “Call You Out” and the aforementioned “The Pledge.”

The band previously released two albums and EPs and are best known for their single “Don’t You Believe Me Baby,” a dynamic cover of a previously unrecorded early 80’s Police song. That atypical release helped the band generate over half a million streams on Spotify and score a full-page story in the Boston Herald. It was followed by the “banthem” (ballad/anthem) “The Pledge,” which broke important ground by tackling the often-taboo subject of Alzheimer’s Disease; the song was mixed by Grammy-nominated producer Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Pink, Elton John).

The LIFE…IS A FRACTION track listing is as follows:

1. Life…is a Fraction I. Restless
2. Life…is a Fraction II. Origin Story
3. Life…is a Fraction III. In Search of the Unknown
4. Life…is a Fraction IV. Rolling On
5. Life…is a Fraction V. Diagnosis
6. Life…is a Fraction VI. Realization
7. Life…is a Fraction VII. Happening Now
8. Life…is a Fraction VIII. Reflection
9. Life…is a Fraction IX. Interlude/Transformation
10. Life…is a Fraction X. Finale/The End of Everything
11. Call You Out
12. The Pledge

Q&A with Michael Aroian of ELSEWHERE

Q: Life…is a Fraction comes in at 34 minutes–was that where you ended up because you felt the story was told in that time?

Michael Aroian (MA): “Yes and no. Originally, the idea was only supposed to be told in 8-9 minutes and was going to be included as part of a B-side to an earlier EP we released in 2018 called “Multi-Man”. As the pandemic roared on and we became more introspective and experimental with our writing and recording, the sonic canvas expanded and time ironically stopped for awhile to allow us to broaden the story and give it proper attention and treatment. We didn’t intend to have 10 chapters at the outset but as the project progressed, it was evident more music was needed to complete the narrative.”

Q: Life…is a Fraction seems to have a universal appeal since through the pandemic time seemed to be broken into fractions, but also stood still. Noting time perception was different over the past few years, did this play into the story at all?

(MA): It did indirectly at first and then the idea of fractional time perception became more crystallized as our everyday lives were put on pause. One thought about why time seems to move by quicker as we get older relates to the notion of being more busy, be it with family or professional or other obligations. When we are younger, most of us don’t have as many responsibilities or complexities in our lives. This usually changes with time. However, even as I myself was tasked with less mundane things to worry about during that approximate two year pause, time still whipped by. And it was because my numerator of days lived on this earth was catching up with my fixed but unknown denominator of days that I had to live. No matter what, I have lived a greater relative percentage of my life than I did before the pandemic and as a result everything sped up despite me spending more time at home “doing nothing”…This observation to me became more chilling and underscored what we were trying to tell people with this story…

Q: Can you talk about how the band came up with and refined its merger of prog-leaning alt-rock?

(MA): The notion of us being a prog leaning alt/power-pop/new wave trio didn’t necessarily happen consciously as say a band like The Police purposefully (and with genius) marrying rock and reggae. It was more a function of evolution. All the members in the band love prog rock and were raised on it to some extent but for me, being a boy in the 80’s and becoming an adult in the 90’s, I also ended up being exposed to so many interesting genres within the rock realm be it from punk to new wave to grunge to brit pop to nu metal. A lot of these different influences permeate our writing and while some of the pursuits of prog rock can be fantastic, sometimes they can be lost in self-indulgence (which is also okay). I think what we were unconsciously trying to do was create a concept record that would be applicable to today’s music consuming environment. Things move faster and attention spans are shorter. The notion of the bridge in song arrangement has been abandoned or mutated. We thought we could convey a story with deep meaning in more bite sized chunks that perhaps younger people who are always on the move and looking at their phone could enjoy and understand. But stylistically and sonically our sound has arrived via a gradual confluence of many different musical influences.

About ELSEWHERE:

Describing themselves as a “prog leaning alt/power-pop new wave band,” Boston based power trio Elsewhere’s single “Don’t You Believe Me Baby”–a dynamic cover of a long overlooked, previously unrecorded early 80’s Police song–has scored hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, and streams on Spotify and landed the band a full page story in the Boston Herald. Their most recent EP Multi-Man includes three equally fiery originals penned by frontman and guitarist Michael Aroian. Elsewhere initially achieved notoriety for their now out of print album Outbound, which earned them slots at the College Music Journal (CMJ) Marathon and numerous showcases in NYC where major labels showed interest. The band later achieved an international breakthrough with their widely acclaimed 1981 album in 2010. In addition to Belgium, where they received a write-up in one of the country’s biggest rock magazines (Rock Tribune), they became popular and received great press in Germany, Denmark, Norway, UK, Italy, Czech Republic and other countries – all while continuing to hold court at top clubs in their home base of Boston and NYC.

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | SPOTIFY