All About A Bubble

Blowing up
All About A Bubble is recording its second pop-rock album.
by JARROD GOLLIHARE

Always remember, kids ... it pays to be prepared.

Well, that’s what All About A Bubble discovered anyhow. This local combo has made quite an impression on club-goers over the past few years with its energetic live shows and fervent, catchy alterna-rock.

Despite its easy-breezy moniker, though, band members — guitarists/vocalists Dustin Storm and Luke Chronister, bassist Clinton Summers and drummer Fabian Robles — aren’t afraid to turn it up to 11.

And the band’s 2011 arrival to the crowded Tulsa music scene as a fully formed, tight rock act (which proceeded to quickly gain a loyal following) certainly didn’t happen on a whim. These boys had been hard at work before anyone knew who they were.

The band formed after their previous groups (Chronister and Summers had been in Astellaway, Robles was in Krsna the Scarecrow, and Storm was in The Televised) broke up nearly simultaneously. Chronister called Storm and asked if he wanted to form a new band.

“We had all done the ‘traveling in a band from coast to coast playing really small, meaningless shows’ thing,” Storm says.

“Before we even started writing, we all got together and talked about the things we had done right or wrong (in our previous bands). One of the things we all agreed we had done wrong was going out into the scene unprepared.

“So, we wrote the album in the first six months of the band, then we rehearsed it for six months before we ever booked a show. I think that really benefitted us. We were already locked in on the songs.”

After debuting the band at the Woodystock Music Festival in 2011, held at Tulsa Honors Orchestra founder Jody Naifeh’s ranch near Sapulpa, All About A Bubble began playing all the usual music hotspots such as The Shrine and The Vanguard.

In the summer of 2012 — emboldened by its local shows and ready to hit the road for some interstate touring — the band purchased thousands of dollars of gear. Unfortunately, the group’s trailer was stolen soon afterward ... along with its shiny, new equipment.

Bye-bye tour.

Instead of moping, however, the band took this disaster as a cue to do something positive. The four musicians decided to record their debut CD as a way to make a little money while recovering from their loss. By the time the police had recovered most of the band’s gear four months later, they had already released “The Life and Times Of,” a spirited 12-track blast of self-produced pop rock.

To top it off, the combo’s local following was steadily growing ... and zealous.

“We have a really solid fan base for whatever reason, something none of us have ever had playing locally before,” Storm says. “The crowd is actually an important part of our show. ”

All About A Bubble is currently recording its follow-up CD, “The Sailor, The Captain,” set for release in early 2014. Storm, the sole songwriter for the band’s debut CD, says the new release will be more of a collaborative effort.

In the meantime, the band is hitting the road for a tour that will include national hotspots such as The Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tenn., and The Whisky A Go-Go in Los Angeles. - Tulsa People Magazine

On the pop/rock side of the equation, All About A Bubble has been working on new material as well. The group originally had an eye set on an EP release in late September. Instead of rushing things, however, the band made a wise decision to lay back and make sure all of the pieces fit. The group has made a conscious decision to cut back on the live shows this fall to concentrate on writing and recording. They have an eye on releasing a new full-length disc, hopefully in the spring.

The partnership between Dustin Storm and Luke Chronister has really started to flourish as they have found their collaborative chemistry and the band has really started to gel as a unit, playing regularly over the past year and a half. That bodes well for a new release. Although no new clips have leaked yet, I spoke with Storm recently and the band has a few new songs that have gotten all of the members excited. A couple have been completed that I hope to get a chance to preview in the coming weeks.

Although Storm has fought through a couple of different band configurations, All About A Bubble appears to be solid and finding its comfort zone. And with Chronister helping flesh out his ideas, this band is finally providing Storm an effective outlet for his songs. ABoT awards for Indie Rock Band of the Year and Song of the Year (for "Matthew") in 2013 appear to be just the beginning for these guys, so that leaves us all waiting anxiously for the next step. - Urban Tulsa

All About A Bubble is the result of what happens when a band faces its apocalypse and only the strong survive the aftermath. The band, that headlined to a packed Aggie Central Station on Saturday, formed when each of its member’s prior band fell apart.

“All four of us were with other bands, and we all played our last show together with those bands,” said Dustin Storm, All About A Bubble’s lead vocalist and guitar player. “For some reason or another, everybody broke up at the same time.”

Rising up from the ashes of the failed bands, All About a Bubble became the leader in the new age of the music scene in Tulsa, Okla. “Urban Tulsa Weekly” recognized the band’s with two awards in 2013: “Song of the Year” for the song “Matthew” and “Best Indie Rock Band.”

But they’re
just getting started.

The four performers came together with their combination of experience, style and concept, to create an American rock band that tore up the Aggie Central Station’s stage. The music flowed through their veins while they were playing, giving them a high that some other musicians have only achieved through other means.

Watching All About A Bubble gives the audience a trip that everyone should be jumping on to. The band members completely go for it, but with the grace of collaboration to form a greater sound rather than attempting to out do one another. Each note they play is in your face and impossible not to get lost in. By the end of the show, they leave everything they have on the stage.

A mix between the Killers and Manchester Orchestra, with the stage presence to match, the band’s music is a revival of the great pop rock genre and upcoming indie rock.

All About A Bubble is touring just after recording its sophomore album, and performed it for the first time live at Saturday’s show. To say that their stage show has progressed over the years is a bit of an understatement.

“Well, actually [at] our first show all the power went out during the second song, and we were playing an outdoor small town festival in Tulsa that happens every year,” Clinton Summer, bass player, said. “It was very low key. We were the only electronic full band there. They didn’t have enough electricity for our amp. So, it shut down twice through out the set. Out first show was a disaster. It’s nice to go back there and see how we’ve progressed. Next Saturday is our two year anniversary.” - The Collegian

As the evening wears on, the tide will turn to a louder, more rock-oriented show, all while keeping the pop sensibilities intact. All About A Bubble has been playing steadily on the local scene over the past year and I finally got to catch them for the first time a few weeks ago. Guitarist/singer Dustin Storm is the primary songwriter and impetus behind this band and a couple of the tracks on the group's debut disc have followed him from his tenure in The Televised. After catching a couple of performances by this band, however, it appears that Storm has finally found the chemistry he's been looking for and his songwriting has started to grow even more.

The real secret behind this band, however, is guitarist Luke Chronister. Not only is his guitar tone the glue that holds this band together and helps define its sound, but Chronister proves to be the sounding board and songwriting partner that has helped solidify Storm's compositions. Of course, he's had a big hand in the band's sound as the group's debut disc was recorded in Chronister's home studio. It's still a little raw, but a solid debut that shows a ton of potential and if the few live shows I've seen so far are any indication, this band is still in its early stages and continuing to get better with each show, so there are high hopes for this band to much more in the future. - Urban Tulsa

So this band @allaboutabubble sent me this song. I usually don’t open links but the way they asked was very polite and not a demand. So I was “what the hell” I don’t know who they are but if this song is an original song I’m sure it won’t be long until you see these guys everywhere.
Please note that I didn’t do any research on this band, I didn’t google them, didn’t look to see if they were beanie wearing bands. I just liked this song (impossible to fade) they sound like a blend of a few bands that have had hit songs (notice I didn’t say names) that way you guys can decide for yourself if they deserve thumbs up or thumbs down. Please let them know what you think of them. Feel free to leave a comment here because I’m curious as well. - themerchdude

So what does that leave me looking forward to in 2013? For starters, I'm hoping to find a few new bands that truly knock me off my feet. Admittedly, there are a few around town that I haven't been able to catch yet and are starting to create a buzz. That said, I'm looking forward to finally seeing All About a Bubble as I dig into the new year. - Urban Tulsa