Alesana


There's many things a dedicated fan can do to display their hero worship. They can get tattoos of their favorite band's logo or lyrics on their person. They can hop in a car and shadow the band while on tour across the country. They can show up to local shows with baked goods or home cooked meals and let said bands crash on the floor of their homes when hotels aren't in the budget. Alesana, the North Carolina-based screamy, pop metal band, actually had fans name their children after the band.

"We've met babies names Alesana, who were named that after the band," vocalist/guitarist Shawn Milke told Noisecreep. "We collect the pictures. So far, we have met four people with babies named Alesana." If you sound it out, Alesana, which sounds like "Alice Anna," is a pretty, hip name for a little girl -- if she has cool, music-loving parents.

"We didn't intentionally do it, but we have cultivated that underground cult status," Milke said. "We have fans who follow everything we do and love the whole creation, and we are grateful for that."

So who are Alesana fans? "It's definitely an interesting blend. We get fans who like our band because we're 'screamo' and they use that term," Milke said. "We love all our fans, and we love the ones who enjoy music for the reason we create it for. It's not just music; it's stories and it's theatrical. We're not just writing what's popular. Maybe we do write pop metal, as it has been described. That's what it's always been. We love that our fans like the dark hair and dark clothes, but that they also see beyond that."

Milke admitted that they "don't get the hardcore, gym shorts-wearing, moshing types" at Alesana shows, but that they do attract a surprising sector of die-hards from the military, of all places. "Three of our biggest fans are military metal dudes who come to every show we play in North Carolina," Milke said. "They all got Alesana tattoos, and they love every single second of our music! We have a wide range of fans, and it's not just young kids. We even have fans who are adults with families."

Alesana's new album, 'The Emptiness,' is out Jan. 26.

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