Underoath The Almost

The Almost and Underoath are two very different bands. What ties them together? Aaron Gillespie. While recording Underoath's Define The Great Line, Floridian drummer/vocalist Aaron started penning songs for a side project, and The Almost was born. Aaron even recorded all the instruments featured on the album except for bass on a few tracks, which featured The Starting Line's Kenny Vasoli. Since then, Aaron has taken to playing guitar and singing, adding four pals to the touring lineup. We chatted with Aaron about refusing to sell out, Shania Twain, and his childhood nickname, Pig -- read it all here.

So why did you decide to form The Almost?
When you do anything, you always want to branch out. I wanted to try to make a rock record and then I decided I wanted to try to do it by myself. Nothing too complicated. With Underoath, it's totally different. I just know that I love both things in different ways.

Is there more pressure with The Almost because it's your project?
No, no -- it was less pressure. I'm sure it'll be a lot more pressure the next time around. But this time I didn't care -- I just wanted to see if we could do it. It would be cool, but I didn't know how it would turn out.

Do you think Underoath fans listen to The Almost?? At first, totally, completely, and now they're still there. Underoath never got a lot of radio play, but The Almost got quite a bit of radio play in the past year, so there's a total different crowd from that alone. That's a whole different world to tap into.

What's your favorite song on the album?"Dirty and Left Out." I had never written a song in the studio. I'm very spastic when it comes to being prepared to make a record. I'm scared and I've mapped out how I'm going to do it. This is the first song ever that I wrote in the studio.

What effect did growing up down south have on you musically?
It has everything to do with everything. If I grew up here, I'd probably be influenced by much different things. Growing up down south, all that was around me was Christian gospel music. In the south, it's different -- people are different. It's weird we such regional cultural differences between the states and it's not that big of a place. Being from the south, life's kind of slower.

How did you get your nickname, Pig?
I used to weigh 215 pounds in the beginning of high school. Spencer [Chamberlain, lead singer of Underoath] made it up when we first met 7 or 8 years ago. So he called me that. He calls me on the phone now.

You've got a lot of tattoos. Which is your favorite?
I got a portrait of my wife for out first anniversary. That was pretty cool. It turned out great. [But] tattoos are kind of weird. I love having them, but I hate it. I sit in the chair and a week later, I'm miserable. It hurts so bad.

What's the biggest misconception people have about you?
A lot of times, I feel horrible because I'm just a normal guy and people want more and more and more. They don't give you a break, and I hate getting to that point. Then, you look like a "rock star." I don't ever want be a "rock star."

What do you mean by that?
In terms of selling out. When I was younger, I said I would never sell out. I tell people what I believe in and talk to people; I let people know where I come from and about my faith. And to a bigger audience it's better, more people. And when you sell out is when you begin to do it because it's what you do, not because you're passionate. "I'm in a band. We're huge." "Why?" "It's what we do." That's a cop out, in my opinion. They might feel that way, [but] that's the person I never want to be. Since their inception, Florida's Underoath has evolved from a run-of-the-mill Christian metalcore band into a fluid, dynamic, and energized rock group that adeptly blends emotive melody, charged punk rock rhythm, and chunky, engaging bottom end. Underoath formed in 1998 in vocalist Dallas Taylor's bedroom. Within a year, the group -- with guitarist Tim McTague, drummer Aaron Gillespie, and keyboardist Christopher Dudley -- had inked a deal with Alabama's Takehold record label. In July 1999, Underoath released the six-song Act of Depression CD, which sold over 2,000 copies. The five-song Cries of the Past followed a year later, selling over 3,000 copies.

In 2002, Takehold licensed all of its bands and releases to Seattle's Tooth & Nail/Solid State label. Underoath hit the studio and recorded the ten songs that would comprise their first album under the new partnership, appropriately titled The Changing of Times. Taylor abruptly left the group in the middle of 2003's Warped Tour, leaving distressed fans contemplating the band's uncertain future. Underoath -- which also included bassist Grant Brandell and guitarist James Smith -- continued on, however, enlisting ex-This Runs Through member Spencer Chamberlain as their new vocalist.

A year later, the new lineup released They're Only Chasing Safety and supported it on the road with bands like Thrice, the Bled, Hopesfall, and Fear Before the March of Flames. A special edition of the album was next released in fall 2005 that included four bonus tracks; touring continued with a spring 2006 headlining tour alongside Poison the Well, As Cities Burn, and others. Deciding to stick with Tooth & Nail instead of jumping to a major label, the sextet showcased substantial growth and maturity on their next effort, Define the Great Line, issued in June 2006.

A heavier, more emotional album than the breakout success of 2004's Chasing Safety, the record sold close to 100,000 copies in just its first week of release and was certified gold by the year's end. Embraced by fans and critics alike and considered the band's masterpiece by many, the group supported it on Warped's main stage that summer. But with a month of dates remaining, tensions within Underoath's ranks suddenly came to a head, causing them to drop off the traveling festival. Rumors swirled of their impending breakup, but the guys remained adamant that a much-needed break was merely due to sort things out. They proved themselves by returning in 2006 with Define the Great Line. Climbing all the way to number two, the album became the highest-charting Christian album on the Billboard 200 since 1997 when LeAnn Rimes took the number one spot with You Light Up My Life. Underoath returned to the studio in 2008 for Lost in the Sound of Separation, an 11-song behemoth of a record that saw the group adopt a darker, more experimental (yet still undeniably heavy) sound. Ryan J. Downey, All Music Guide