Their roots might be in the Chicago scene, but for the members of October Fall—vocalist/guitarist Pat D’Andrea, guitarist Clark Harrison, pianist Owen Toomey, bassist Greg Shanahan, and drummer Nick Scalise—pop music is their passion.

As a child, there was always music playing in the D’Andrea house. Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, and Stevie Ray Vaughn all became trusted friends, especially when D’Andrea transferred from a public junior high to a private Catholic high school, making him the dreaded “new kid.” D’Andrea would sit in his bedroom, play guitar, vent and, inadvertently, write songs. While attending one of his sister’s musicals, D’Andrea met a fellow loner, Clark Harrison, and the two began jamming together as Silver Lining. With lofty aspirations and a budding arsenal of songs, the duo soon changed its name (to October Fall) and solidified a line-up of Chicago’s best and brightest players (Toomey, Scalise and ... read more »