AfterMath Afterglow

After recent visits from Blues Mafia and the Carson Brock Group, Europe dusts off its welcome mat for yet another group of talented young Austinites: Pop quartet AfterMath, which recently won the School Jam USA competition in Anaheim and title Best Teen Band in America.

This was the first year School Jam USA, previously School Jam Texas, took place on the national stage. The battle of the bands is for 13- to 18-year-olds and showcases young talent while raising money for music education.

“AfterMath has come a long way from those nine-year-olds covering the Pixies' ‘Gigantic,’" enthuses James Mays of Band-Aid School of Music and longtime teacher of AfterMath. "I'm really proud of the way the band has kept it together and continuously improved. Not only has their playing come a long way, but the quality of their writing and arranging is what put them over the top at School Jam USA, something we work on each week at Band-Aid. Another strength of the band is the commitment of their parents to support them by managing and booking the band.”

The grand prize was merely the crowning jewel. Rachel Thompson won the contest prize for best vocals, guitarist Dustin Belanger shared the title of best guitarist, and fellow Next Up blogger and AfterMath member Livvy Bennett took the prize for best bassist. AfterMath is a testament to the impact of supporting young musicians, the core ideal of School Jam.

Sadly, I was not in Anaheim for their winning performance, but I have been consistently impressed with the work ethic and song quality I have seen. Hard work gets you places, and in this case, it's Frankfurt, Germany.

The steady stream of contest winners Austin has been sending to Europe is indicative of the ripe musical climate here. Those nine-year-olds are growing up, and now they're about to make a gigantic trip. Good luck, AfterMath, and may you leave another lasting set of Texas boot prints in the European soil.