Final Order
A Brand New Band That Flat Out Jams
CV: First off let us say... WOW, the January show at Mt. Repose Tavern tore a hole in the floor where the stage used to be! It really was refreshing to see a new band that plays such a powerful professional show. Since you are so new we thought what better way to introduce the band than with an interview in our debut issue of Cincy Vibe.
CV: Introduce yourselves and tell us how Final Order came about.
FO: We are flattered that Eastside Vibe has asked us to do an interview. Our band consists of 5 members. Dave Deluca - Vocals, Brian Lange – Lead Guitar and Vocals, Dan Mayfield – Bass Guitar and Vocals, Hooter (Hootie-Licious) Johnson – Rhythm Guitar and Chip Poppe – Drums.
Chip Poppe: I am the drummer of Final Order. I started this project in November of 2008 after purchasing a brand new drum set (thanks to my wife and close friend talking me into it). My wife still says it’s a mid life crisis thing! After purchasing the set, I put an ad online for guitarists and a vocalist just to see what would happen and had a pretty good response and I haven’t looked back since. I have had the pleasure of meeting some really good musicians during this journey and have developed good friendships with them. After watching several well established bands I figured out what was missing and set my sights on becoming one of the best cover bands in Cincinnati. After searching long and hard, I feel we have the perfect musicians to achieve our goal which is to be the best cover band in Cincinnati! A band that plays some of the most modern rock and party songs that are very popular on the local rock radio stations. We will deliver this music to our fans in some of the finest venues with the highest energy and we really enjoy getting the crowd involved.
Daniel Mayfield: Co-manager and the bassist for the band along with part time sound and light guy and pagemaster for the bands myspace page. I am also responsible for the video and audio production of the band. I was with the band “ask around” I got involved with Final Order back in the late spring of 2009 after Dave Deluca called and asked me to sit in on a jam session. The sound and vibe of everyone working together was incredible.
Dave Deluca: I was playing in a group named Ask Around and wanted to look for something fresh and a little more modern. I checked out some ads online and found Chips ad. We set up a jam session and the chemistry was instantaneous.
Hooter (Hootie Licious) Johnson: I came across an ad online for a band looking for a rhythm player. The set list was what I was looking for and I emailed Chip my info. Our emails were exchanged pretty quickly and I found that the guys in the band were in the similar mind set and music mode that I was in. I came over for a meet and greet one night after work and had none of my gear with me and got a nice surprise. They had a guitar and amp sitting there ready if I felt like joining in. I did and I was immediately at ease with them and things went from there. They made me dance naked in the snow, but it was worth it although my feet still haven’t recovered.
Brian Lange: I am the lead guitarist and back up vocals and have extensive background in playing in original bands. I have been playing music for about 20 years now and have had the pleasure of playing with some fantastic musicians. I’ve spent the majority of my guitar playing life in the all original rock bands such as Liquid Nation and The Screaming Kings. While in both projects, I was fortunate enough to open for national acts such as Drowning Pool, Testament, Overkill, Souls at Zero, Voivod and many others. I also traveled throughout the Midwest, playing various shows and released full length original recordings with each project. I enjoy playing acoustic shows at local venues in my spare time. But I’m also very excited to join up with the guys from Final Order to bring you fun, high energy and enjoyable music from your favorite bands. Come out and have a great time with us! I’m looking forward to seeing you soon!
CV: Your MRT show was your 3rd performance as a new band, did the band spend much time practicing to prepare to play out?
FO: In the beginning we spent a fair amount of time getting the songs tight but the biggest challenge was getting the sheer volume of songs ready to perform, while still balancing our everyday lives. We also spent a considerable amount of time “tweaking” the set list in an effort to offer the right balance of great dance songs, new rock songs and “fun” party songs. Even now, we are working on some new music to add to the set list for even bigger things to come! We generally get together one time a week to rehearse. Each member of the band is expected to do the majority of the work at home which makes our rehearsals much more productive. We continue to practice routinely in order to get our sound as close to the original performers as possible. We want people to be completely blown away with the sound and performance of the band.
CV: It’s hard to believe you guys haven’t had any live performance experience, the show went so well and smooth. The players are excellent and the set list was fresh and cool. It was like hearing the best of WEBN live. How have you been received so far?
FO: Overwhelming is the best way to describe the amount of fans and the feedback we have received. Our fan based is very strong, especially in the west side of Hamilton County and it continues to grow every day. We are climbing the “popularity ladder” 3 rungs at a time! I have to admit, we have some of the most fun and loyal fans out there! It’s easy to put on a great show when you have both talented musicians who have a passion for the music and great fans. Every show keeps getting better and we are always hearing how much they love it. We are also getting very positive feedback from the venue owners about the selection of music, how well we perform it and the large crowds we bring to their establishment. This is a testament to the professionalism and talent that each member brings to the table. Most of the fans and bar owners we have talked to still can’t believe we are a newly formed band. It’s very rewarding and makes us want to push ourselves harder to be the best!
CV: How many members of the band are firefighters? Does being a full time firefighter ever conflict with your band schedule?
FO: Chip is the only firefighter in the group. Brian’s family is all firefighters and he swears he will be one as soon as he grows up! We try (as much as possible) to schedule shows around all of the members of the band’s schedules. We all have full time jobs and family lives that have to take priority as well as college courses, other projects and of course, sleeping!
For all the ladies reading this, we have a large following of firefighters and there are very few people that are more fun to party with then firemen!!!!
CV: We were told the band offers rides home for patrons after the show, is this true, if so how did this unusual concept come about?
FO: Final Order is a very strong supporter of responsible drinking. In September of 2009, our singer got a DUI which changed his life completely. We made a commitment as a band to support him and support the DD program. In fact, Dave is currently working on starting a Cincinnati chapter of Bands against Drunk Drivers program with the hopes that other bands will get involved. We want everyone to have the time of their life at our shows and more importantly, want to see them back at our next one. We work closely with yellow cab company in Northern KY and have an agreement with them. Our agreement is this, if someone needs a ride to and or from our shows, they can call yellow cab and tell the dispatcher they are at a Final Order show and a cab will be immediately dispatched. We are also in process of working with a local limousine company as well. The lead vocalist, Dave Deluca came up with the idea of purchasing $10.00 gift cards for gas. At our shows, we ask that all DD’s for the night put their name in a hat and we will pull one or two names for the gas cards. We are also working on giving other prizes to DD’s as time goes on. It’s our way of saying thank you to the fans for being responsible. I have a feeling (and hope) this is going to catch on with other bands!
CV: We caught your show on the eastside, where else do you have lined up to play?
FO: Currently we are scheduled to play at the following venues over the next few weeks:
The Highway House, Eli’s Sports Bar and Grille, The Knotty Pine, Mt Repose Tavern, Luckey’s Irish Pub and the Beer Sellar. You can always go to our web page www.finalorderband.com or our myspace page www.myspace.com/finalorderband for the most up to date show info and general info about the band. You can leave us a message on any of our sites if you would like to suggest that we try to play your favorite song or if you would like to see us booked at your favorite establishment.
CV: What plans do you have to promote the band this year and how are you working to achieve those goals?
FO: We have been working very hard trying to get our name out there. We are always listing our name on any local music sites, local magazines, facebook and myspace pages, networking with other bands and asking our fans to spread the word about us. We have also been very fortunate to have bar owners that we have played for recommend us to other owners which has contributed to our success. All members of the band are using their contacts as well to get our name out. We are also emailing bar owners and driving to different venues dropping off our demo cd. It is a long process but it’s worth it. We have our sites set on playing the biggest venues as well as any outdoor event that is looking for a great band and anyplace else we can go!
CV: You guys tear up covers quite righteously, do you plan to create any original music?
FO: Thank you for that compliment. We have discussed doing some original work. We have been so focused lately working on getting the covers we are doing to sound as close to the original artist as possible. We want folks to know when they come to a Final Order show, they will ALWAYS have a great time. Doing originals is very time consuming, but a definite possibility in the near future.
CV: Thanks again for the interview! We are proud to be the first publication to showcase this new band. You all are very talented and your show puts many “seasoned” bands to shame. Good luck and keep us posted on all your upcoming show dates.
FO: Again, thank you very much for the compliments. We are very grateful to have had this opportunity to talk with you. We feel we have raised the bar of what bands should sound like and what bar owners should expect and we are looking forward to getting our name out to the public. We wish Eastside Vibe and Cincivibe the very best of luck. We are very excited about working with your publication.
Final Order Band – Always a Good Time!
