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The Afters
The Afters performing in April 2014
Background information
Also known as	Blisse
Origin	Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Christian rock CCM
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Columbia INO Sony BMG Integrity
Members	Josh Havens Matt Fuqua Dan Ostebo
Past members	Brad Wigg Mike Burden Marc Dodd Niko Red Star Jordan Mohilowski
Website	theafters.com

The Afters is an American Christian rock band founded by Josh Havens and Matt Fuqua. Havens and Fuqua first worked together in a Starbucks coffee shop in Mesquite, Texas, where they performed songs for customers before deciding to form a band. They were initially joined by Brad Wigg from the same Starbucks and drummer Michael Burden and performed with the name Blisse. When Burden left the band, Marc Dodd, who also worked at the Mesquite Starbucks stepped in. Their song "Never Going Back to OK" was the most-played song on R&R magazine's Christian CHR chart for 2008.

History

As a precursor to Blisse, Josh performed several shows around Dallas with his band The Screaming Mimes which included Charlton Parker, who later formed Deaf Pedestrians, and Hans Grumbein. While Brad was a founding member of Blisse, he took time away from the band to perform with his own blues project, playing lead guitar. Shows at the Door in Deep Ellum, part of Dallas, were filled in by Dallas bassist Eric Kitchens and bassist/filmmaker Niko Red Star.

Under the name Blisse, the band recorded a six-song EP in 2000. From the recording they made enough money to cut their first album, When the World Is Wonderful, which was released independently in 2001. This album contains songs also released on their major label debut album I Wish We All Could Win. In 2002 they released a live concert DVD filmed at a local Dallas club called The Door.

The band changed its name after discovering that another "Blisse" already existed. Settling on "The Afters", they continued to play local clubs in the Dallas area. Eventually they were discovered by INO Records and signed to a four-record deal. Word of the band later got to Epic Records, who signed the band to a deal for mainstream promotion and distribution. Their first major label album, I Wish We All Could Win, was released on February 22, 2005. The first single from the album was "Beautiful Love", written by Josh Havens about a time when his wife was abroad doing humanitarian aid. The single's music video won The Afters a 2005 MTVu "Streaming Woodie" award. In addition, "Beautiful Love" became the theme song for the MTV show, 8th and Ocean about the careers of female and male fashion models living in Miami. The song was also featured in the 2006 film, Just My Luck. The song "Until the World" was the theme song for the American drama television series that aired on the ABC Family Network Beautiful People.

In an update posted on their official website, the band went into the studio in August 2006 to begin recording their second album, Never Going Back to OK. It was originally scheduled to be released on December 26, 2007, as per a post on their MySpace blog, but was ultimately delayed and released on February 26, 2008.

The first single from the album, the title track "Never Going Back to OK" was premiered on October 16, 2007, on Total Axxess. It was released as a streaming file on The Afters' MySpace page on November 10, 2007. The song was on the R&R magazine charts in December 2007. It reached No. 1 on the R&R CHR chart in March 2008; R&R magazine ranked it as the most played song on U.S. Christian CHR radio in 2008. In the spring of 2008, the band began their own headlining tour along with Falling Up, Ruth, and Everyday Sunday.

The Afters said in their Twitter account that they started recording their next album on October 27, 2009. The album, called Light Up the Sky, was released on September 14, 2010. The album's first single, the title track reached No. 1 on Billboard's Christian CHR radio and also appeared on MTV's The Hills.

In January 2011 The Afters joined the Rock And Worship Roadshow national tour headlined by MercyMe. Light Up the Sky was produced by Dan Muckala. They announced a new album to be released on April 17, 2012. A month later, they released a new single entitled "Life is Beautiful" on iTunes; the song was part of the soundtrack for the movie October Baby. On February 19, 2013, a new single, "Every Good Thing", became available on iTunes. The new album's title was Life is Beautiful.

On August 28, 2015, the band released "Live on Forever", the lead single from Live on Forever, their fifth studio album set for release in late 2016 on Fair Trade Records.

In 2018, "Well Done" appeared on the Billboard 100, followed by "I Will Fear No More" on October 19, 2018. Both songs were advance releases for The Beginning & Everything After, their greatest hits album released on November 2, 2018, and for Fear No More, their sixth studio album released on May 31, 2019. On December 3, 2021, the band released their first live album, Where Heaven Touches Earth: Live at The Grove which was recorded in Arizona.

Band members

Current members

Joshua Havens - lead vocals, keys and guitars (1999-present)

Matthew Fuqua - vocals and guitars (1999-present)

Daniel Ostebo - bass guitar and vocals (2010-present)

Former members

Brad Wigg - guitars, bass guitar and vocals (2001-2010)

Michael Burden - drums (2001-2004)

Marc Dodd - drums (2004-2010)

Niko Red Star - bass guitar (2008-2010)

Jordan Mohilowski - drums (2010-2020)

Touring members

Evan Yuen - guitar (2020-present)

Austin Gavin - drums (2020-present)

Preston Martinez - drums/bass guitar (2022-present)

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Independent albums

• When the World Is Wonderful (2001) (as Blisse)

Live albums and DVDs

• Live @ the Door (2002) (as Blisse)
• Where Heaven Touches Earth: Live at The Grove (2021)

EPs

• Never Going Back to OK - EP (2008)

Singles

Awards and nominations

GMA Dove Awards

Notes

1. Live on Forever did not enter the Billboard 200, but peaked at number 88 on the Top Album Sales chart.
2. Fear No More did not enter the Billboard 200, but peaked at number 81 on the Top Current Albums chart.
3. "Light Up The Sky" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 23 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
4. "Shadows" did not enter the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, but peaked at #1 on the Billboard Christian Rock chart

References

1. ^ 2008 Year End Charts/Top Christian CHR songs Archived May 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, R&R magazine, Retrieved January 6, 2009
2. Never Going Back To OK by The Afters NewReleaseTuesday.com, retrieved February 2, 2008
3. US. "The Afters". MySpace.com. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
4. March 8, 2008 R&R chart as reported at Weekend 22; Retrieved March 11, 2008.
5. Tony Cummings (March 16, 2008). "The Afters: The Dallas pop rockers who are Never Going Back To OK". CrossRhythms.co.uk. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
6. We officially started recording our new album today! by The Afters Twitter.com 2009
7. Christian Sonic  » The Afters – Light Up the Sky [Single] (2010) Archived August 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Christiansonic.net Retrieved June 14, 2010
8. "Music News, September 2010: The Afters Land No. 1 Spot on iTunesŽ and CHR Radio As Band Prepares to Embark on the "Hungry For Love Tour" Sponsored by Food for the Hungry". Jesus Freak Hideout. September 22, 2010. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
9. "MercyMe, Jars of Clay part of The Rock and Worship Road Show in Sioux City". Argus Leader. January 30, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
10. Dan Muckala (February 2, 2008). "Dan Muckala - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
11. "The Afters Release New Single "Live on Forever"". CCM Magazine. September 4, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
12. "The Afters - Who's coming to one of our shows on the "Time..." Facebook. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
13. ^ "Members". The Afters. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
14. "The Afters - Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
15. "The Afters - Chart history: Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
16. "The Afters - Chart history: Top Christian Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
17. "The Afters - Chart history: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
18. "The Afters - Chart history: Top Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
19. "The Afters - Timeline". Facebook. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
20. "The Afters Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
21. Cluver, Ross (April 4, 2019). "The Afters New Album 'Fear No More' Drops May 31". CCM Magazine.
22. "Chart Search | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
23. "The Afters - Chart history: Top Christian Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
24. "The Afters Celebrate and Give Glimpse of Future with the Beginning and Everything After". November 3, 2018.
25. "The Afters - Chart history: The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
26. "The Afters - Chart history: Adult Pop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
27. "The Afters - Chart history: Christian Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
28. "The Afters - Christian Airplay". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019.
29. "The Afters - Chart history: Heatseekers Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
30. ^ "American certifications – The Afters". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
31. "Chart Search - Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
32. "JFH News: The Afters' Fifth Studio Album "Live On Forever" Set To Debut September 9, Available For Preorder Now". Jesusfreakhideout.com. July 26, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
33. "The Afters Score No. 1 At Radio With "Shadows"". gospelmusic.org. Gospel Music Association. June 8, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2022.

External links

• Official website
• The Afters - I Wish We All Could Win

• Christian rock groups from Texas
• Columbia Records artists
• Musical groups from Dallas
• Fair Trade Services artists
• Musical groups established in 1999
• 1999 establishments in Texas