The Mile After
Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, this pop/rock group of young musicians is a trio in the best sense of the word. There isn’t a lot of additional instrumentation on "The Way It Should Be" for example.
But listeners will not be misled into thinking this is a "power trio" in the classic ’60s and ’70s sense. Listen closely to the beginning of "The Only One." The harmony on the vocals is very tight. This tune moves quickly into some decent rock, with a good rhythm change.
The group is quick to inform Web site visitors that the group is influenced by such pop/soft rock headliners as Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie, Hall & Oats, Billy Ocean, Huey Lewis, Luther Vandross and other musicians and singers "that moms love." In addition, The Mile After is indie in the pure sense of the word. At present the group presents itself as unsigned with their record label listed as "none."
Chase Holfelder and Ben Carter provide the guitar and the vocals, supported by the drumming of Jim Trice. Tour dates include Douglasville, Marietta and Valdosta in the state of Georgia. The group moves on to Jacksonville and Tampa, Florida, along with other Sunshine State stops, before moving back to home ground in the Carolinas.
Tags: indie, the mile after, music, indie music, independent music
December 26th, 2007 at 1:10 am
I’m not a fan of Pop/Rock groups. So, I wasn’t really a fan of these guys. However, there guitars are GREAT!~
December 26th, 2007 at 10:11 am
I am a pop/rock fan, mostly of soft-rock/adult contemporary groups and singers, so The Mile After is really right up my alley. They’re actually a bit more “rock” than what I really like listening to, but they’re not boring or so harsh that I have turn them off after the first song or so.
December 27th, 2007 at 12:38 am
I have yet to listen to The Mile After, but I do really like listening to some pop/rock music every once in a while. I also like strong guitar playing in my music, so if the guitars in their music are really that great, I will probably like them.
December 27th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Jewel, you would probably really enjoy listening to The Mile After, particularly if you’re in a less-than-hard-rock mood after a long hard day at school or at work. The guitar-playing is pretty good if that’s one factor you look (or rather, listen) for in a soft-rock/pop group.
December 27th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Thanks Fardreamer, they do sound more my taste. I like hard rock too, but sometimes something a bit poppy catches my attention and I like that too, the same pretty much goes for soft rock. What songs would you recommend that I listen to first?
December 27th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Well, Jewel, if you like lyrics that don’t make you blush, you might want to take a listen to “So Damn Easy,” which includes lines along the lines of:
and all i ever wanted,
the only person that
i needed was you;
nevermind, that was a lie
that was influenced by
the things you did
in the bedroom;
That’s a bit frank, at least in my way of thinking, but it’s also real and honest.
December 28th, 2007 at 1:47 am
Thanks for the suggestion Fardreamer. I will do a search and see if I can find that song, and maybe a couple of other songs they have out there. The lyrics you posted there do seem pretty real and honest like you described, thanks again for the recommendation!
December 29th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
I think that these guys have a nice sound that is true to the music style. The vocals are some of the best I have heard in a while and I would enjoy hearing more from this group in the future. Keep up the good work.
January 1st, 2008 at 8:40 am
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see the “extra something” that this band has. There is nothing about their instrumentals or vocals that stand out to me. In fact, the lead singer reminds me of any other band you could turn on the radio these days and hear. I’m not saying that they are horrible, but there is just no appeal in it for me.
January 4th, 2008 at 12:54 am
These guys must be a follower of the Beetles in the old days, without those expensive suits. I love the fact how this guys has given there own kind of music. They have mixed the rock with the pop songs. As I remember correct “The Beetles” started as group of young singers back on the 60’s, just like these kids are doing now. They may yet become as popular as “The Beetles”.
January 4th, 2008 at 11:40 am
You must have been reading my mind at the same time I was listening to their music Leighdu. Even the way they present themselves is somewhat drab and ordinary. Nothing stands out that makes me think, “WOW! I wonder if this band is going to sound as good as they look.”
January 6th, 2008 at 5:55 am
These guys are a bit soft for my tastes almost a little soulful. They are talented, and I’m sure that they’ll do well, but I’m not sure that they’re my thing at all.
Do they really have to ’stand out’ to go far? Being ‘inoffensive’ is often enough these days :/
January 9th, 2008 at 3:12 am
I gave them a listen, but honestly, I was not really into them. I just kind of thought that they sounded average. I don’t think that it’s absolutely necessary for a band to “stand out” to be good, there are plenty of good bands that sound alike, however with this band, I just kind of felt like they were mediocre in general. Nice lyrics, but not so much the music.
January 10th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Upon further reflection, the band wasn’t awful-type mediocre but rather, well, vanilla-like, at least as far as the overall presentation goes. Yes, the lyrics are real and I still give them kudos for it, but they DO sound, on the whole, rather generic after a while.
January 14th, 2008 at 12:53 am
I have found this video, which is collection of videos by the group. I thought of sharing it with you guys. The site is http://www.imeem.com/tag/themileafter . I’m sure every fan would want to go there since they have the complete list of the band’s videos. All in all they have a total of fifteen videos that is ready to play.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I agree with Fardreamer. They don’t really sound…unique in any way. I mean, some of the songs are pretty good, and I really feel for the lyrics, but each one just reminds me of other songs I’ve heard before. They’re okay to listen to though, it’s just that the music doesn’t stand out in my mind.
January 29th, 2008 at 11:28 am
thanks for the good words, guys!
glad you like it;
and to those who don’t prefer it, to each his own! thanks for at least taking the time to listen.
February 17th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Chase,
I’m glad I didn’t offend you by saying what I did, and I think it’s great that you checked in with the listeners and left a comment. I do wish you and your band luck and fame!
February 19th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Hey, wow. Chase is a class act; he read through all our comments and left a kind note to thank everyone, not just those of us who didn’t leave gushy raves.
Now, THAT, my friends, is really cool.
April 12th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I think it really is awesome that Chase came and looked at what we had to say. It really showed a lot of respect for other people’s opinions and musical tastes, and in turn, I respect him and the band that much more.
April 13th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I, myself, have never seen anyone read negative reviews or comments about their work and taken them with such a classy, non-confrontational manner. This, my fellow IU readers, is one nice person; if all musicians - heck…all artists - reacted in this fashion, the world would be a less angry and agitated place.
April 13th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
On the same token though, if I were an up and coming band, I would do the exact thing though. Notice all the responses he is getting just for poppin’ in like that ? That’s called good marketing :-).
June 24th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
They’re pretty good, but I don’t think they have the ‘IT’ factor that will help them make it big one day. They’re good don’t get me wrong, but sadly not memorable. I’m a fan of pop/rock but to me they seem to fall into the cookie cuter category. Except for some of the lyrics that is. If they could incorporate a sound that was really theirs, combined with the lyrics I think they’d have the ‘IT’ factor.