The work of the Blue October group is usually referred to as alternative rock. This is not very heavy, melodic music, combined with lyrical, heartfelt lyrics. A feature of the group is that it often uses violin, cello, electric mandolin, piano in its tracks. The Blue October group performs compositions in an authentic style.
One of the band's studio albums, Foiled, was certified platinum. In addition, two singles from the collection, Hate Me and Into the Ocean, also became platinum.
To date, the rock band has already recorded 10 albums.
The emergence of the Blue October group and the release of the debut album
The key figure of the rock band Blue October (frontman and lyricist) is Justin Furstenfeld, born in 1975.
Justin's childhood and youth were spent in Houston (Texas). His father taught him to play the guitar. The first rock band in which he took part was called The Last Wish.
At some point, he had to leave this musical project. However, in the fall of 1995, he created a new group, Blue October.
The co-founder of this group was the violinist Ryan Delahousi, Justin's school friend. In addition, Justin took his younger brother Jeremy as the drummer for Blue October. The bassist was Liz Mallalai. This is a girl whom Justin met by chance at the Auntie Pasto restaurant (the musician worked there for some time).
The rock band was able to record their first album (The Answers) on high-quality equipment in October 1997. It went on sale in January 1998. The record was very warmly received by the public. In Houston alone, 5 copies were sold in a short time.
There were 13 songs on this record, and many of them can be called sad and depressing. This is also true for her main hit - the composition Black Orchid.
Group history from 1999 to 2010
In 1999, Blue October signed a contract with major label Universal Records to record their second audio album, Consent to Treatment. But the resulting result did not justify the expectations of the studio. After all, they managed to sell about 15 thousand copies of the album. As a result, disappointed representatives of Universal Records stopped supporting the group.
The third album, History for Sale, was released by Brando Records. And she suddenly became very popular.
One of the singles Calling You (from this record) was originally written by Justin as a birthday present for a girl he was dating at the time. But then the song became part of the soundtrack of the comedy American Pie: Wedding (2003). And in the first half of the 2000s, this composition was the most recognizable in the group's repertoire.
Justin Furstenfeld began working on the songs for the next album in 2005 in California (for this he specially moved here from Texas). As a result, the release of the next LP Foiled took place in April 2006.
Immediately after its release, the musicians went on a big tour. However, after one of the performances on this tour, Justin fell badly and injured his leg. Therefore, for several months he could not go on stage.
But this did not negatively affect the sales of the album. And by the end of February 2007, 1 million 400 thousand copies were sold in the USA.
Book by Justin Furstenfeld
The next (fifth) album of Approaching Normal appeared in the spring of 2009. At the same time, a book by Justin Furstenfeld was also published under the title Crazy Making. The book contained the lyrics of all the songs from all the Blue October albums that existed at that time. This book also talks about the history of the creation of these songs and describes the experiences associated with them.
Regarding the sixth LP Blue October Any Manin America, it was recorded between June 2010 and March 2011. And it appeared on free sale on August 16, 2011. This album, like all subsequent ones, is released on the label created by the band, Up/Down Records.
In the title track, Any Man in America, Justin spoke out harshly about the judge who handled the divorce proceedings from his first wife, Lisa. Lisa and Justin got married in 2006. However, in 2010, Lisa left him, which caused the rocker to have a mental breakdown.
The band's discography from 2012 to 2019
During this time period, the group managed to record three albums. In 2013, the album Sway was released. Moreover, to finance this record, the members of the Blue October group used the Pledge Music crowdfunding platform. The fundraiser was launched on April 2, 2013. And after a few days, the group managed to get the required amount from the fans.
Relative to the next album Home (2016), it took 200th position on the main US Billboard 19 chart. And in specialized charts (for example, in the Alternative Albums Chart), the collection immediately took the 1st position. The album Home included only 11 songs. And on the cover was a photo of Justin Furstenfeld's father and mother's first kiss.
Two years later, in August 2018, the ninth album I Hope You're Happy was released. It was released digitally, as well as on CD and vinyl. In terms of mood, this record, like the two previous ones, turned out to be very optimistic. And reviews from critics and listeners about her were mostly positive. The rock band managed to maintain its style and not become obsolete.
Blue October group now
In February 2020, a new single Oh My My was released. This is the single from the forthcoming album This Is What I Live For. It has been recorded and should be presented on October 23, 2020.
However, this year Justin Furstenfeld performed other new songs on various radio stations (in particular, The Weatherman and Fight For Love).
On May 21, 2020, the premiere of the documentary film Blue October - Get Back Up took place. In it, considerable attention is paid to drug addiction and Justin's mental problems. And how he got through it all with the support of his current (second) wife Sarah and his bandmates.
Rock band Blue October planned to go on tour in March 2020. But, unfortunately, these plans were violated by the raging pandemic.
As at the time of creation, today the members of the group are Justin Furstenfeld, his brother Jeremy, and Ryan Delahousi. But the duties of the bass player in the group are now performed by Matt Noveski. And on top of that, Blue October includes lead guitarist Will Naack.
