Anarbor—–Where They’ve Been and Where They’re Going
Knitting Factory
November 8th, 2017
Its November 8th 2017, and I’m sitting with Anarbor’s Slade Echeverria, Adam Juwig and Danny Stravers in the back room of Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory. The trio is clad in white t-shirts and black jeans and there’s an air of excitement, as they await to take to the famed club’s stage to play before a swarm of loyal enthusiasts.
The Phoenix-based rockers are pumped to hit the East Coast this month, with a string of tour dates in cities like Cleveland, Philadelphia and Detroit. “All of our fans have always treated us so well here,” Echeverria exclaims, saying the band had not been to New York City in the past 7 or 8 years.
The show started promptly at 7:00p with indie-pop trio Exnations and Anarbor’s friends and fellow Phoenix natives, Sundressed. Anarbor hit the wide neon-lit stage around 8:45p and opened with an oldie, but goodie, “It’s A Fact.”
The setlist continued with “Whiskey In Hell,” and “Damage I’ve Done,” catchy tunes from the 2013 album, Burnout. Then there were a few from the 2010 Billboard-ranked The Words You Don’t Swallow.
The band, which toured mostly on the West Coast during their earlier days, took a break in 2013 and came back last year with a self-titled album and a tour alongside post-hardcore group Emarosa.
New songs like “Josie,” “Through the Night,” and “Dopamine,” from their 2016 release were also woven into the setlist. The band ended the show with “Can’t Help It,” for which they released the music video on November 4th.
The energetic, vast crowd then called for an encore. Juwig immediately hit the stage again, and the other band members follow, playing “You & I,” the group’s oldest, most popular song. The crowd jumped and screamed the lyrics to the upbeat, dance-friendly number.
The guys that comprise Anarbor exude positivity on stage, though 2017 hasn’t been their easiest year. In July, they lost their 17-year-old drummer, Tyler Hedstrom to suicide.
The guys have since raised $20,000 for Hedstrom’s funeral via GoFundMe and Juwig is working with Hedstrom’s mom to organize a walk in Tyler’s honor. The band even brought Tyler’s brother, Alex Hedstrom on tour to play guitar for them.
Juwig, Echeverria and Stravers all become emotional when talking about suicide, and 
admit to having suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives. It’s an issue that continues to impact the alternative music scene—with many recently attending the sold-out concert to honor Linkin Park’s late frontman, Chester Bennington.
As for the future, the band plans to release another record next year. They were vague on details, but said fans shouldn’t expect it to be like previous Anarbor music, rather look forward to it being a bit different and more rock-oriented.
“It’s going to be the biggest record that Anarbor’s done,” said Stravers. Echeverria adds– “We don’t really want to make an Anarbor record. I want to get real intricate with it.”
Continue to anticipate big things from these talented musicians and be sure to catch them whichever coast you’re on!
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This is so cool. I’ve loved this band since I can remember!