ELSEWHERE’S HARD-HITTING ANTHEM “THE PLEDGE”

OFFERS A GROUNDBREAKING, INSIGHTFUL AND

ULTIMATELY HOPEFUL TAKE ON THE HARSH REALITIES OF

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE


Led by Frontman and Songwriter Michael Aroian, The Power Trio –

Whose Latest EP Is 2018’s Multi-Man - Has Been a Popular Staple on

Boston’s Indie Rock Scene Since the Late 90s


Maybe it’s because people think rock and roll is a realm of eternal youth and should be an escape from the harsher realities of life. Or because it’s easier to talk about getting and losing a significant and contemplating the universe than confronting life’s harsher realities. Either way, superstars and indies alike usually shy away from tackling the tough realities of aging and disease. With their searing, no holds barred “banthem” (ballad anthem) “The Pledge,” Boston based power trio Elsewhere – led by visionary frontman/songwriter Michael Aroian - breaks important ground by breaking the silence on the heretofore forbidden topic of Alzheimer’s Disease.


Produced by The Neighborhood’s founding guitarist David Minehan and mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Pink, Elton John), “The Pledge” will be released in November to coincide with National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. The edgy guitar driven, multi-tempo track – performed by Aroian, bassist Kevin Swaluk and drummer Adam Soucy - tackles the harsh realities of the progressive illness from the dual perspective of someone afflicted with it and someone close to that person trying desperately to understand and process what’s happening. The latter point of view includes the uplifting realization that no matter what happens, whether a cure is ever found or not, love endures and is the key to facing life’s harshest experiences.



As the ageold adage goes, seeing is believing – so to help drive the main points of the song home, Elsewhere created a powerful lyric video in conjunction with the European based Black Sheep Media, which created the popular clip for the band’s song “Codependency” (the band's biggest streaming hit, with over 300,000 streams on Spotify). The clip juxtaposes contemplative images of different people and their relationships with live performance clips of the band and, during that high-octane part of the song, fiery metaphorical images.

Aroian wrote “The Pledge” based on his personal experiences with his mother who has been suffering from Alzheimer’s these past few years. His goal with the song is to make people more aware of what is often a verboten topic and what he calls “an invisible, forgotten disease” – and use the track as a call to action to help motivate researchers and the pharmaceutical companies to get past their false starts and stops and press on until they find a cure. To that end, he is looking to partner with a prominent Alzheimer’s non-profit organization to build more exposure and awareness for the song and it’s ultimate message

“Beyond my own self-expression and desire to tap into my raw feelings that have come in dealing with not only my mom, but other members of my family who have had the disease, ultimately, ‘The Pledge’ is an opportunity to give back to families, to bring awareness and a little bit of hope – and to let people know they’re not alone,” Aroian says. “I want the song to help lift the spirits of the silent millions who are suffering in silence because their loved ones are slowly slipping away from them. And I want them to know that love can help us get through it. Elsewhere has always approached our music and career differently from other indie bands, and we’re proud to take a stand and be unafraid to write a song about this.”

Elsewhere has been a popular Boston band on and off for many years, initially achieving notoriety for their 1997 album Outbound, which earned them slots at the College Music Journal (CMJ) Marathon and numerous showcases in NYC where numerous major labels showed interest – back in the day when that was the ultimate ticket to wider fame. The band later released the EP Perception in the early 2000s before achieving an international breakthrough with their widely acclaimed 1981 album in 2010.

In addition to Belgium, where they received a write-up in one of the country’s biggest rock magazines (Rock Tribune), they became popular and received great press in Germany, Denmark, Norway, The UK, Italy, Czech Republic and other countries – all while continuing to hold court at top clubs in their home base of Boston and NYC. Their most recent EP Multi-Man – which includes a re-imagining of a little heard Sting-penned Police demo titled “Don’t You Believe Me Baby” – represents their ongoing drive to succeed after a series of personal setbacks over the past few years – including Aroian’s own major health issues.