The Almost: The Other Side of Aaron Gillespie


“Yeah I’m super nervous,” admits Aaron Gillespie. If you recognize the redhead’s name because he’s the drummer in Florida’s hardcore champs Underoath, then you may wonder what exactly does a rock star such as himself have to worry about? His main stage act is currently touring with Taking Back Sunday and it would be hard to walk through any high school in this country without seeing more that fifteen look-alikes endorsing Underoath across their chests! It’s fair to say, he’s got it pretty good. But being a drummer in one of the world’s most mainstream outwardly Christian hardcore bands is a tiring position. A position that leaves many songs to be written; quiet songs, subtle songs, soothing songs, and simply rock songs, much like the ones that line Southern Weather, the glistening debut album from his side project, The Almost.

Behind all the glossy magazine spreads and trendy photo shoots is a real man. Aaron Gillespie is a 24 year old machine. A machine that feels pain, sorrow, lust, and love and knows how to express those emotions in delicate acoustic based emotive rock. So why shouldn’t he be nervous? Wouldn’t you if be if you were reaching inside your chest, removing your heart, and selling it in stores for people to buy? What if they don’t like it? What if they don’t like you?

“We’ll see, I hope people like it,” he says. “I’m curious. Being honest makes me more aware of what people will think.” His words bounce off the walls of this high ceiling-ed dressing room. For a man with so much talent behind the kit, stepping out into the spotlight is presumably no simple change, so is writing the songs entirely by himself, without a band to critique along the way.

“I really wanted to make an honest record,” Gillespie shares. “I think I did. This way was all by myself. It’s just totally different [than working with a band]. Underoath is just a big conflict with six of us, six different opinions. Conflict and compromise. That’s what makes Underoath what it is, six different heads kind of constantly trying to fight, not in a bad way.” He goes on to compare the relationship with band mates to a marriage. “There are things that you hate about each other and love about each other. But the things you hate you work on with each other to become the one person that you should be.”

Gillespie is a new friend to marriage. He just got married in November and anyone who talks to him can tell he’s still glowing with the newly wed shine. His wife, who usually tours with him most of the time, was there with him in the studio to help with the recording of Southern Weather. She was actually the one who encouraged Gillespie to take the acoustic songs he had written between recording sessions for Underoath’s Define The Great Line, and actually put them to use. And she was right, his talents should be shared.

“I was trying to write it so that you can take the lyrics and put your own spin on it,” Gillespie recounts about half way through our interview. “You know those records you listen to and you’re like, ‘it’s about me it really is!’ When I was a kid, like 16, Chris Carrabba recorded the first Dashboard Confessional CD, he s a good friend of mine now. The record was just acoustic guitar and it was distant, I swore that every song on that record was for me. So I tried to do that.”

Ideally, music is a parasite. It attaches itself to each person’s memories and takes on a new story for each person. Music like The Almost’s is your classic example which explains why tons of kids will be so easily embraced by the open ended lyrics. Sure, call it “emo” but if music didn’t have that ability most of us wouldn’t be listening.

Although Gillespie is currently on tour with Underoath, I catch him playing an acoustic set at Amp’d Mobile in downtown Toronto during the day, (before I see him set the stage on fire that night.) Living this double life would stress any normal being out. “It’s hard,” he admits. “Like today I’m exhausted. You can bitch about these things, but I’m the most blessed kid in the world. I’m sitting in a room to myself, people bringing me stuff to drink, I’m young, I’m happy. I have nothing to complain about. Any band sitting in a tour bus complaining probably shouldn’t be doing that because it’s their choice. They could be at home working at Subway.”

- Sari Delmar 







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