Within the school halls roam seniors Damian Bruffey and Andrew Irons, the current leaders of up-and-coming local metal band, Anesthesiac. The band, originally named OUCH, was founded in 2020 by Bruffey, Irons, and former-member Link Wells, who discovered their shared passion for music during the pandemic lockdown.
Over the years, the line-up of performers changed numerous times and currently includes Bruffey and Irons, as well as fresh faces Trevor Vogt and Aaralyn. As Anesthesiac evolved in the past years, the group’s involvement in the community grew likewise. Kicking off their debut with the Arts Herndon show on Jul. 28 2023, and arranged many more concerts up for the future, this year seems to be their most eventful one yet.
“It’s always pretty nerve-wracking leading up to [the performance],” Irons said. “But I think as soon as you start playing in front of people who are into what you’re doing, all that stress kind of just goes away”
For Bruffey and Irons, music has always been a big influence in their lives. For Irons, his parents have always been big on music, as his mother is in a band herself. In Bruffey’s case it came from listening to a variety of genres on the radio along with their grandparents showing them the Beatles. As the duo has grown up, the influences on their creative work continued to expand as well.
“In terms of inspiration, it’s very broad,” Bruffey said. “We get inspiration from bands like Electric Wizard and some of those fancy metal bands like that, but it also goes far to the other side and bands like Foo Fighters where we get inspiration for drumming or bass stuff. We pull from all sorts of different places.”
In the three years since their start, the group built connections with other local bands garnered support from a fanbase that continues to grow.
“I’d have to thank Dani Otarola for being our photographer, and some of the guys from other bands like Seikilos,” Bruffey Said. “They love playing with us all the time.”
The group has been something that the two have put a lot of effort into. Their hard work is reflected through their songwriting and energetic performances.
“We’re just really happy to be here [and] be a part of this scene,” Bruffey said. “Everyone that comes down from Herndon, and everybody that comes to see us play, or take pictures, or just listen to the music from home we appreciate you.”
The band recently started up again, finding new venues to perform at, getting into the studio, and producing their very first album. To stay updated with their newest releases, follow Anesthesiac on Spotify and Instagram.
