Aurora is a four piece pop punk band from Leominster, MA, a town that is about an hour west of Boston.  If you know Boston, you know that the city has a rich history when it comes to pop-punk. And this is a band that knows that as well, they are poised to follow in the footsteps of those bands. The band recently released an acoustic song, “Changing Winds”. If this is your first listen to this young band do not be fooled. This song is just a small indication of what this band is capable of.  If you are a fan of pop punk you know that it has become popular for bands to do acoustic versions of their songs or even put out full length acoustic albums. This song is very good. I am big on lyrics and this song is one that when I hear it I can feel what the writer is feeling.  There is a line that goes, “I’m finding it hard to believe in myself. Let’s be honest, I really could use some help”. That is something I think that we all have felt at some point.

I had the honor of interviewing the drummer, Ethan Cheeseman a few weeks back. Topics from the start of the band to the dog in the video for “Changing Winds” were talked about.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx4rfk0eK80&h=297&w=450]

RAY: Where did you guys come up with the name Aurora?

Ethan: Aurora is the name of a song by Therefore I Am, who was a big influence on the guys at the time. The decision wasn’t solely based on that but the name stuck.

RAY: So you guys have been a band for a short time. What is one thing the world should know about you guys?

Ethan: We all are single.

RAY: What bands have influenced you? Be it in life or musically.

Ethan: Well, personally I went through different phases. Blink-182, Saves the Day, Taking Back Sunday, Coheed & Cambria, Circa Survive, Between the Buried and Me are a few recurring phases that I never tire of.  I know that the rest of the band has musical interests in a similar vein and I think those influences are evident in the band’s sound.

RAY: How did you guys get started in music?

Ethan: We’ve all been playing music for a while now. There are plenty of defunct projects with credits to our members. Some former bands are Tales, No Values, BlackBear, My Place in the Cosmos, etc. The timing happened to be right when the group got together initially, and then again when I caught up with these guys in September.

RAY: I’m not from Boston or the area but for as long as I can remember that area has produced awesome music. (Aerosmith, The Pixies, The Lemonheads New Kids on The Block, Have Heart, Transit, And The Ducky Boys). How do you feel about the music scene there?

Ethan: It’s a great place to be a local musician. There is no shortage of talented bands around here so it motivates us to stay focused and work hard. It also makes playing shows that much better when there is a solid line-up of good bands. When you add that to the historical aspect with all the big artists that have come out of this area/state, we’re definitely lucky to be doing it here.

RAY: Who is the greatest Red Sox player ever?

Ethan: In 1941, Ted Williams had the best offensive season of all time, then served three years in the military to fight a war, then returned to dominate for 15 more seasons until his retirement at age  42. Come on, now.

RAY: What are you currently listening to?

Ethan: Right now in my car is, Kevin Devine-Between the Concrete & Clouds, Pathogenic-The Solipsist Dream, He Is Legend-It Hates You and Earl Sweatshirt-Doris

RAY:  I have listened to the two EPs like a madman the past few weeks and I know the next release is also an EP. So when are we going to get a full length?

Ethan: The upcoming EP is six songs so it’s a little longer than the last two. We had talked about making this a full-length but ultimately felt more comfortable with putting our best six out instead. Hopefully this release goes well and we get to write a full-length after that!

RAY: In the video for “Changing winds” I felt really sad for the dog. Does he belong to one of you and what is his name?

Ethan: The dog (Scooby) is Rob’s dog. (Guitarist)  He is a lowrider. From what I understand, he’s a pretty happy dog.

RAY: What do you guys hope to accomplish this year?

Ethan: We are looking to tour a little bit this summer and play as many shows as possible. This next release will be my first with the band and I hope to really develop our sound and write some new jams. We mostly intend to have fun doing what we love. Working with these guys has been great so far and we really enjoy putting in the effort involved with being in this band. If I had answered your second question seriously, I would have said that we are hard workers and like putting in the time at band practice, as well as on our social media sites. So this year you can expect more of the same this year.

RAY: Who is your favorite GI Joe Character?

Ethan: SNAKE EYES obviously

RAY: Any last words for our readers?

Ethan: Come out to a show and say hi to us at the merch table! We love getting to know our audience!