If you’re into basketball, there is a good chance you’ll see Dameon and Gabe Aranda, founding members of the rock group Aranda, at a game cheering on their home team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. You might even catch the brothers singing the national anthem! Much like the adrenaline rush, feelings of intense passion and major excitement that being a sports fan will give you, so will Aranda’s latest album, Not the Same.
Dameon Aranda and Gabe Aranda started their first band in the 5th grade. They were inspired by their parents’ favorite musicians: Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Cat Stevens. This boundless interest in varying genres helped propel Aranda into a world of collaborations with the industry’s finest talent. On their first release, the self-taught musicians worked with the Grammy nominated production team of Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello.
2009 saw Aranda’s first charting single, “Still in the Dark,” break into the Top 30 chart for active rock radio across the country. That same year, Dameon Aranda received an unexpected phone call from Kelly Clarkson, asking if she could cover two of Aranda’s songs on her album, All I Ever Wanted - including the high-energy in your face rebel song, “Whyyawannabringmedown.” This song was selected by the WWE as the theme song for the pay per view event, The Bash, and “All I Ever Wanted” became the title track of Clarkson’s album. Soon after, Aranda released their second album, Stop the World, which was produced by Grammy nominated producer, Johnny K, (Disturbed, Staind, Sevendust and Drowning Pool.) They embarked on a nationwide tour with Daughtry and 3 Doors Down.
There are elements of Stop the World on Aranda’s forthcoming release, Not the Same. The band is taking their life experiences, the changes they have gone through and channeling all the emotional feelings into a collection of songs that will introduce fans to a rebirth of Aranda. The 11 new songs, including one stripped down acoustic and one self proclaimed “disco-y pseudo rock track”, are each their own piece to a larger story about a journey that overcomes darkness. Not the Same will be your own personal light at the end of the tunnel. Aranda brings their message of hope and optimism to their audience. As Dameon Aranda says, “these songs are about leaving your past behind and moving forward, and looking forward to great new things.”
