By KATIE EDWARDS
Starting out as a Christian band performing at the First Presbyterian Church of Downtown Orlando, Before You Exit is now going mainstream and is on the rise with junior Braiden Wood on lead guitar, junior Connor McDonough on vocals and guitar, freshman Riley McDonough on vocals and bass and junior Thomas Silvers on drums.
Silvers attends Boone and Wood used to attend Boone but now takes classes online. Brothers, R. McDonough and C. McDonough are enrolled at Edgewater.
Wood was inspired to start the band after listening to Relient K and wanted to express himself and do what he loved.
Wood met Silvers at school and Connor at church. After about a year, the band became more mainstream and R. McDonough became the new bass player. It’s been two years since then, and the band has been together for three years.
“My favorite part is making the music, writing songs, playing in shows and getting to know the fans,” C. McDonough said.
The initials for Before You Exit are B.Y.E. They wanted to come up with a name that would be inspiring, something that people could relate to. It means make a difference before you exit this world.
The boys’ first performance was at R. McDonough’s birthday party. Riley technically wasn’t in the band yet but was a guest singer. The boys did not play any original songs at the time. They started playing music from classic rock artists like ZZ Top.
“It’s cool to see how much we’ve grown and that we now have our own music. My favorite part is definitely being on stage looking out at the fans and how our music puts a smile on their faces. Even people who haven’t seen us before, at first they stand still and then they start to feel it. I love seeing the look on their faces; it’s such an adrenaline rush,” Silvers said.
For acoustics gigs they will receive between $200 to $400 and for a full band with merchandise $1500 to $3000. The boys have the same manager as All Time Low.
Living the rocker life comes with consequences, however.
“I used to be a really smart kid in school, but when the band got started and we got more involved my grades went down. I lost focus, which is why I had to start taking online classes,” Wood said.
“The Best Thing” written by bass guitarist/vocalist R.McDonough is one of the band’s new songs. It is a about a guy who falls for a girl he wouldn’t usually be with. The girl doesn’t think she is good enough, but the guy thinks she is amazing. The lyrics to this song can appeal to a wide range of people; it is a typical love song.
“It’s really cool when the fans know all the words to a song I wrote in my bedroom, and they care about what I have to say,” R. McDonough said.
Before You Exit starts their fall tour with All Time Low, A Rocket To The Moon and City (Comma) State on Sept. 19 in Boston, Mass., and doesn’t come back to Orlando until Nov. 17.