After Z

After Z is a story. Like any good story, it has a beginning. In 2005, a boy named Nathan Stauffer started writing a few songs and short stories – exaggerated, even whimsical accounts of his own adventures. He compiled, composed, and created, and in 2009, an album of songs was recorded. Soon after, Nathan sought out the help of his friend Jesse Fellows to bring those songs to life on stage. The two of them began preparing a live show, and joined by a few iterations of other friends, they started playing out in 2010, building a following in their hometown of Youngstown, OH, and in surrounding cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Akron. In some ways, it feels as though the story is still very much at its beginning; the band is continually developing its sound, adding a bit of an edge to its otherwise ambient style. Now Nathan (keys, vocals, programming) and Jesse (guitars, vocals, tech) have teamed up with Jeff Worona (drums) and Mike Benich (bass, synth) to write the next part of the story, playing some new songs and even updating the old ones with a slightly more energetic and electronic feel.

In addition to the 2010 concept album release, Nathan wrote a book (also called After Z) to help tell the story of the album. Here is a short bio for the concept behind both the album and the book:
“For anyone willing to close their eyes and listen for whispers, to fill up the corners with wonder, to learn to walk through the sky and discover the previously unseen shapes and colors...for anyone willing to believe in bigger things, the story is quite clear: there is another world out there, one that exists outside of the things that we see with our eyes or touch with our hands. Where is it? Well, I suppose it can be found in the notes of your favorite song, or in the colors of your favorite picture, or in the love you feel for your favorite person. If it were a number, it would be larger than infinity...and if it were a letter, it would come after Z.”