A Familiar Encounter started out back in winter of 2006. Matt and Justin had went to school together and decided to get together playing music after it was learned they both played instruments. With a guitar player and drummer in line, it was time for a bass player. Matt and Brad met through a mutual friend and after Brad had picked up the bass guitar, the three of them got together to see what would happen. Although the songs brought in had already been written, Justin and Brad made them come to life, bringing their own skills together. The three of them have chemistry which simply cannot be beat.
Towards the middle of 2006, the band went through 2 singers rather quickly. Auditions were held after those departures but nothing worthwhile came around. From 2006 to the end of 2007 the band put things on hold; still getting together to write songs but not focusing on line up additions. Fast forward to middle 2008. The band had finally gotten a solid vocalist. They played out numerous times from July until about February of 2009. The band recorded their first CD, entitled “Eternal Endeavor”, a five song demo highlighting some of the aspects of AFE. In February 2009 after deciding it would be best, the band parted ways with the vocalist.
This departure left the members of AFE in a low place and nobody knew what to do next. Many thoughts ran through the heads of the members. Not letting it slow them down, the band took a break from the music scene to focus on writing more songs and to really think about what they wanted to achieve in music.
In March 2009, the band discovered vocalist Barry Gilmer. He brought a new element to the music, and is quite different from the previous vocalist. Instead of the clean style vocals previously heard, he brought a heavier aspect to the music, making the music take on a whole new sound. We are very happy with this new direction, and we hope everybody else is as well. In May, the group acquired Jake Livermore, the group’s second guitarist. The lineup was officially complete.
A Familiar Encounter’s music has been described in many ways; Metal, Rock, Hard Rock, Progressive, and even Indescribable due mainly to the unique sound and range of the music. With guitar riffs ranging from upbeat rock, to heavy guitar riffs with double kick and crazy bass lines, even soft, clean, ballad like passages, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what genre the music fits in. We hope you enjoy the music, whether you can fit it into a genre or not. Whether it’s tapping your foot, or banging your head, there’s something for everybody.
When it all comes down to it, we are just 5 guys that want to do nothing but play music for a living. It’s the drive, determination, and sacrifices that have gotten us this far, and hopefully, it can take us to the top.
