Artist of the Week: American Authors

Sean Miehl, Staff Writer

November 14, 2013

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, the indie rock band American Authors is making big waves in music.

The band formed in 2006 while attending the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Starting under the name The Blue Pages, the band recorded two extended plays, and gained popularity in the underground music scene.

The band’s sound can be classified as indie rock and alternative rock. The band has a broad range of influences, which are seen through some of the folk rock and pop elements in their sound.

However, in 2012, the band decided to change their name to American Authors. Also, the band signed to major music label Mercury Records, a subsidiary of Island Def Jam Music Group, who have plenty of world popular music acts. This includes U2, Elton John, and The Killers.

In 2013, the band recorded and released a self-titled extended play. The EP has been a massive success for the band, spawning many singles.

The first single “Believer” gained attention on alternative rock radio. The second single “Best Day of My Life” has reached #109 on the Billboard singles chart, and been featured in many commercials.

As a result of these singles, American Authors is rapidly growing. It is good to see another good alternative band making it in today’s music industry. The new wave of commercially successful indie rock has been exciting to watch and it is only growing, and American Authors is next in line.

To check out American Authors, go to http://weareamericanauthors.com/ and https://soundcloud.com/american-authors

About the Contributor

Sean Miehl, Staff Writer

Walking through the halls of Bethel Park High School, one will catch a glimpse of an energetic guy shaking the hands of all his peers. Sean Miehl's charismatic enigma is prevalent at the high school. Sean joined Hawk Eye and the journalism class to sharpen his writing skills, hoping that it'll give him an edge in college. Sean's main aspiration is to major in journalism at a four year college. "I joined Hawk Eye to improve my writing skills and to also gain some experience in the writing field," Sean said. "I'm thinking about going into journalism later on in life." Post high school Sean is looking into majoring in journalism or political science preferably at Ohio University. Sean is a diverse character. He admires music and going to concerts as well as playing inline hockey for Bethel Park. Miehl said, "I enjoy music and going to concerts. Music is apart of my life." In addition, Sean loves longboarding after school. A longboard is a skateboard of bigger size that allows the rider to make sharper turns and easier cuts. Sean said, "Aside from working at Ace Hardware and playing inline hockey for Bethel Park, I enjoy riding my longboard around Bethel Park." Sean's goals for Hawk Eye this year go above and beyond. His vision is to upload articles and videos quicker and on a larger scale. Sean said, "I want to see a successful, fresh, constant stream of articles. Also, more features that blend well with the student body. I want to make Hawk Eye apart of every student's experience here at Bethel Park High School." Expanding Hawk Eye means a lot to Sean. This past year, Hawk Eye, as a publication, won "silver" from the Pennsylvania School Press Association, a scholastic press association that represents PA. "I want to see Hawk Eye win gold next year. It's all about improvement," Miehl said. Sean's unique character will add a special flare to Hawk Eye. Sean said, "I think my enthusiasm will bring something special to the table." Sean's energetic character will add freshness to Hawk Eye. With Sean aboard, Hawk Eye can fully spearhead any task or obstacle in its path. Written by: Adam Larson, Editor-in-Chief