If you were a band starting in the 80s, you may have looked at Poison or Guns & Roses for inspiration – maybe even Tiffany, depending on how good you were. These days, bands, especially those with alternative markup, look toward Fall Out Boy or Linkin Park or Panic! at the Disco. More and more I hear these influences in bands trying to make it to the forefront of pop culture. For Escape From Earth, they seem to have really studied these bands, and maybe even locals Disturbed, for a little inspiration, direction and vision when crafting their path toward success.
When looking at the business world with a very simply structured mind, there are two types of businesses – those who innovate and those who copycat. In music, there isn’t much difference. Bands who copycat a successful model seem to eventually find their 15 minutes of fame, as do bands that try the unspoken, or sung, path. Escape From Earth seemingly took a style that worked, labeled the sound with their own energy, and popped out a very good band. Well played structure.
Fans seem to appreciate the model, too, as EFE has built up a fan base of more than 21,000 fans, including many outside the perimeter of Chicago. Thanks to the help of MTV2 and a Coke commercial I swear I saw at the movies once, the band has built a fan base capable of elevating them away from their indie label CupCake and onto the major recording labels, much like other Chicago bands Fall Out Boy and Disturbed.
Their songs are good – newer better than older. The older songs “Without” and “Yesterday” have seen 4,700 and 3,600 plays, respectively, while the songs released in 2006 and pushed on a tour that included the partnership of bands like Switchfoot have collected far more popularity. “So Much More” has received 158,000 plays and “Who Do I have to Kill” has been heard 31,000 times. All four songs are definitely catchy and edgy enough to be featured on their Space, and the vocals of Chris are worthy of being switched in for the above mentioned bands at any time.
As for their fans, all 21,000 of them seem to post heavily on the bands site – telling them how much they love them. A Lumino Magazine favorite – Absentstar – is listed as their No. 2 fan, so, we have to give them props for that. They do have one fan named “Dawn” who seemingly is their No. 1 fan, as she posts a lot. Way to go Dawn.
Artistically, the site has many entertaining features, from creative photos to lively videos. While somewhat unorganized and cluttered, there are plenty of interesting features to EFE’s page. Well done.
If the copycat or better worded, inspiration, can holdup for the Chicago boys, then Chris, Ahn and Scott seem to have a solid set up for future success. With no dates listed on their calendar and a note saying they are on vacation, it may be awhile before fans are given the opportunity to see these guys live in Chicago – but I would bet the next time they go out on the road, at least one stop in the Windy City will be on the books.
For a listen and view, visit www.myspace.com/escapefromearth
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