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The Story of Our Last Daze

by Tron Delapp

    So you've discovered Our Last Daze and wanted to find out more about them.  Well, you've come to the right place.  There is a surprising amount of information about Our Last Daze floating around out there, much of which is pure rumor and innuendo.  Tales of soul-selling, alien intervention, clandestine meetings in the caves of Central Texas and the worshiping of eldritch gods from beyond the cosmos populate the information superhighway with no proof or concrete evidence supporting these wild theories but if you take the time to sift through the information carefully some facts begin to emerge.

    The band formed in the summer of 2012 in San Marcos, Texas under the name “Eye of Deceit,” which may account for some of the wild rumors about wizardry that clearly name founding member Mitchell Meitler but nothing that could be conclusively proven.  Shortly after their formation the band had it's first live performance at a house show in McQueeny, Texas, now known as “the boat house session.”  The performance was a smash hit and it was at this very show that the band changed it's name to “Our Last Daze.”  What prompted the name change has never been revealed but there has been plenty of conjecture ranging from the aforementioned Divine Intervention to petty blackmail or possibly even mob interference.  Regardless, the band even now remains known as Our Last Daze.

    House shows remained a band staple until January of 2013 when the infamous “Jimi Demo” was recorded at the home studio of their then drummer known only as “Jimi.”  Despite being shrouded in mystery, the “Jimi Demo” began circulating and the buzz began to build.  By March of 2013, Our Last Daze performed their first club show at Golden Crown Billiards in San Marcos and, based on the reception, it was decided that San Marcos was too small to contain the manic stage presence of Our Last Daze so their tendrils began to stretch out to encompass both the Austin and San Antonio regions.  The National Takeover had begun.

    With the territorial expansion also came band expansion, adding Robert (not E) Lee as a Christmas gift to themselves at the end of 2013, releasing some Youtube exclusive songs to celebrate.  Then, in 2015, the band replaced their original guitarist (alleged to be from the spirit world) with Jon Arredondo and much speculation that Jon traded his 'h' for the opportunity though nothing has been proven either way.  What followed was a period of relentless touring through 2019, while still occasionally releasing exclusive songs to the Youtube platform, expanding their insidious reach.  Once the 2019 tour began to slow down to a more reasonable level, Our Last Daze decided to finally unleash their first multi-platform EP “Sincerely Yours,” recorded and produced by Dan Flynn, who would take over the position of drummer at the end of 2019.  They also added John Veltkamp on bass to help thicken up their sound, finally becoming the band we know today.

    Musically, critics have described Our Last Daze as “shifting from heavy to poppy to soulful” and “catchy vocal melodies with emotive lyrical themes of the debauchery of youth and the existential dread that follows,” which is just some fledgling music writer making stuff up that sounds smart but explains nothing.  Now, imagine, if you will, every sound you've ever heard before all at once being repeatedly struck by lightning while also being injected with LSD at the same time while a pair of unicorns bleat in soulful two-part harmony.  Now that sounds so much more epic than that “critic's” mumbo-jumbo and contains approximately the same nothing.  The only thing critics got right was that the only way to truly experience the magic and mystery of Our Last Daze is to see them live.  On stage, in a park, rampaging in garage sessions, on Cameo, busking in the street – it doesn't matter.  Our Last Daze's unique brand of rock and roll will penetrate your head with ease and you will have no choice but to recognize it's power and technical prowess.  It is this writer's belief that this “mind-music” is responsible for many of the ill-founded rumors of witch cults and soul-selling, all of which are as of yet unsubstantiated.

    The year 2020 was fated by eldritch gods (unproven) to be Our Last Daze's breakout year as they entered the studio to produce their eagerly anticipated  first full-length record but circumstances beyond everyone's control, including the “supernatural,” derailed that plan entirely.  Now, in the year 2022, Our Last Daze has pushed forward and will be releasing that very debut album in or around October this year, giving fans (and the alleged 4th Dimensional Planar Beings whose power actually fuels Our Last Daze according to rumor) a chance to experience a fraction of their sonic skill, though it pales in comparison to the blistering live sonic onslaught they bring to their live performances.

    As you can see, we have sifted through rumor and innuendo to bring you the hidden facts about Our Last Daze in an attempt to show you how they developed into the musical juggernaut we know today.  Mitchell Meitler, Jon Arredondo, Robert Lee, John Veltkamp and Dan Flynn: names you should become familiar with now before they break through the stratosphere and become the band they were destined to be so you can say you knew them when.  They are also the only ones who know for sure where all the bodies are buried, who absorbed whose powers and if the Loch Ness Monster really did the harmony in “By the Coast.”  However, they're not telling.

MEET THE BAND

JON ARREDONDO

// guitars

 

Jon Arredondo is an Austin musician and amateur producer born and raised in San Marcos, Tx. Introduced to music at a young age, Jon began performing in his teenage years, learning several instruments and playing in a diverse number of groups and acts. Jon joined Our Last Daze in 2016.

DAN FLYNN

// drums

 

Dan Flynn is a drummer and audio engineer from New Jersey that was reared in the early 2000s Jersey and New York’s hardcore and punk scene. After studying audio engineering in New York, Dan moved to Texas in 2013. After producing Our Last Daze’s first EP, Dan officially joined the band in 2019.

MITCHELL MEITLER

// lead vocals

 

Mitchell Meitler is a central Texas artist and lyricists born in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Living between two major cities known for their music scene, Mitchell was exposed to live music at a very young age. Mitchell formed Our Last Daze in 2012 and has been the primary song writer and lyricists since it’s creation.

ROBERT LEE

// guitar

 

Robert is a musician from central Texas. Heavily influenced by the speed, intensity of 80's thrash metal and the progressive elements of post-hardcore, he began playing guitar at age 13. He worked to hone his craft through high school where he met Mitchell Meitler, but it was not until years later that Robert joined Our Last Daze in 2014.

JOHN VELTKAMP

// bass

 

John is a multi-instrumentalist from San Marcos, TX whose interest in expanding his instrumental repertoire comes second only to his passion for performing in front of a live audience. Having experience in a variety of musical acts, He joined Our Last Daze in 2019 and has since strived to develop the bands low end tones while preserving its punk rock attitude.

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