Before You Exit is taking the teen world by storm with their flawless harmonies, their gutsy covers and their laid back persona. (AND, in my opinion, they have better hair than Justin Bieber.)
The band, consisting of brothers, Connor (Guitar/Vocals) & Riley McDonough (Vocals/Bass), along with Braiden Wood (Guitar) and Thomas Silvers (Drums), released their debut EP, Letting Go, in March 2011. It was after the release that the band created some huge buzz and had girls swooning worldwide. Not only have they went on tour, opening for their idols All Time Low, BYE (as their fans call them) is putting the last touches on their debut album, which is due for release in Spring 2012. This is only the beginning of what we predict will be a wild and successful ride.
Celebrity VIP Lounge had the chance to chat with the guys to discuss their musical adventure thus far, their touring experience and what they think of the Bieber crazy. Oh, AND we give the guys our own little quiz.
Peep it all below.
DANITY DONNALY (DD): You guys are from the Orlando, Florida area. How did you guys all hook up and what prompted you to go forward with forming a band?
BYE: Well It started out with just Connor, Thomas, and Braiden. Braiden knew Thomas from school and Connor from church so we got together in 7th grade and just started playing music. A year later we added Connor’s younger brother Riley and we’ve been going ever since.
DD: You guys were pretty young when you formed. How were you able to manage school and all the other activities and responsibilities of being a student?
BYE: In our early years it was pretty easy to balance both. The band was more of a side hobby and something fun that we all enjoyed outside of school but we kept all our grades up. Once we started really getting serious with the band in freshman year, school got tough to keep up with so we all had to switch to online school to be more flexible.
DD: I know you were first noticed back in 2009 with the release of your EP. How has your music evolved since then?
BYE: Our music has definitely matured and our lyrics have gotten deeper I’d say. Music grows as the musician grows so it has been an awesome experience to listen back to our first recordings and then listen to our new stuff. We are always excited to put out new music though!
DD: Who inspires you musically?
BYE: We all have many individual inspirations but we mostly started out by listening to pop punk/ pop rock bands such as Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Blink 182 and others too. We had a large variety of musical influences though.
DD: I know you recently toured with fellow boy band All Time Low. First of all, how did that come about? And what was it like touring with a band of their popularity?
BYE: The tour was an awesome experience. It was a smaller tour for them so it was great for us since it was our first tour. We have the same management as All Time Low, which got us on that tour. The All Time Low guys were awesome and taught us the tricks to touring and were just really cool guys.
DD: You guys made some pretty awesome covers that have gotten a TON of pageviews, including my favorite Bruno Mars’ “Grenade”. I know you guys do write some of your own material. What is more fun for you to perform your own material or take on a cover?
BYE: We enjoy covers but it’s always a surreal feeling when kids are singing songs back to you with the lyrics that you wrote so I think its more fun to play originals.
DD: Your debut album is set for release this Spring. What can fans expect with this album?
BYE: They can expect another “matured” album. We have put a lot of time and effort into this album and we can’t wait to share it with you guys.
DD: What are your thoughts on the Bieber craze?
BYE: Well I think the Bieber craze is unbelievably big and that Justin is set for life. It doesn’t really affect us though.
DD: Question from the fans, are any of you single and ready to mingle?
BYE: That’s for us to know and you to find out. (wink)
DD: Oh, I see how you are! (Laughs) I hope you realize that now you can expect a million girls to start asking you out on YouTube. Ok now onto some fun that I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere else so these are some exclusives, dahlings. I want you to answer these questions with who you feel fits the bill most.
DD: Who is the shy one?
BYE: Braiden
DD: Who is the bad boy?
BYE: No one is really a “bad boy”
DD: Good answer! That is what all moms like to hear!
DD: Ok so who is the most geeky/dorky/nerdy?
BYE: Braiden
DD: Who is the “pretty” one?
BYE: Riley
DD: Who has the best hair?
BYE: Connor
DD: Who is the clumsiest?
BYE: Connor
DD: Who is the mama’s boy?
BYE: Thomas
DD: Who is the charmer?
BYE: Thomas
For more on the talented guys from Before You Exit, check them out on Facebook HERE.
Follow them on Twitter here: @BeforeYouExit
Here’s their most recent single “End of the World” and check out MY personal favorite…yes, Grenade.
