Suspecting Afterglow
Suspecting Afterglow was a Pembroke Pines, Florida indie/acoustic band that was ACTIVE between 2001 and 2004. What began as an acoustic project for lead singer Ken Peng, quickly gained steam after Peng performed solo at several local shows to rave reviews. The project quickly turned into an acoustic duo with friend, Joe Pompa on guitar. The duo later met drummer Brian Williamson at a high school talent show, who at the time, was with rock act, Enethicus.
The group asked another mutual friend, Josh Mullenite, to join. He picked up the songs quickly, and within a handful of rehearsals, the band was back again playing shows. While continuing to gain local exposure, the quartet released a 2 song demo in 2002 that served as a showcase to Atlantic Records. At the time, the label showed interest in the group, but due to the band's young age (oldest members were 17), no offers were made.
The songs, "The One You Cannot Have" and "Thousand Miles Away" (although previously recorded acoustically by Peng) were a hit on online music websites, and various versions of the songs are still circulating the web today.
In 2003, the band released their first and only album, "The Stars Don't Shine As Bright Anymore". Recorded and produced in Ken Peng's home studio, the CD featured six songs from the quartet. The CD garnered the praise of critics, and was called a band with a "twist to the mix that separates them from most emo bands, leaving them in a class of their own" by one reviewer. At the time, the South Florida music scene saw no other band of its kind. Many show-goers often praised the band for being different, with a distinctive sound that drew from eclectic influences, to Ken Peng's unique vocal styles.
After the success of the album, guitarist Joe Pompa left the group citing more creative differences as well as a busy schedule. The band continued playing acoustic sets with drummer, Brian Williamson moving from drums to lead guitar, until 2004. While the band enjoyed a loyal following, they never quite caught on with the Florida scene that was so obsessed with pop punk and screamo. SA, as they were known to loyal fans, were ahead of their time. The band finally called it quits with lead singer/guitarist Ken Peng going off to college, and mounting frustrations from a string of relatively unsuccessful shows.
Drummer Brian Williamson went on to play in several local acts, including "Hey Jersey", and his current project, "Mike's In Love".
As of 2006 former lead singer Ken Peng has been working on several solo songs for a possible solo release.
Members
- Ken Peng - Guitar/Keyboards/Vocals
- Josh Mullenite - Bass Guitar (2002-2004)
- Joe Pompa - Lead Guitar
- Brian Williamson - Drums
Discography
Albums
- The Stars Don't Shine As Bright Anymore (2003, Indepedent)
Singles & EPs
- Demo (2002)
Trivia
- Ken Peng has written close to 150 songs including his pre/post-SA. Suspecting Afterglow has only officially released 8 of his compositions. The majority of others remain unheard to the masses, or were a part of Peng's other projects.
- Ken Peng wrote his first song at the age of 13.
- The band was known to release songs with subliminal messages, including song titles such as "Bleeding is The Coward's Hope" ([...]), "She'll Hurt In Time" ([...]).
- During each live show, the band had some sort of giveaway. Some of the notable freebies included a container of salt (which was quickly sprinkled over the entire crowd by an excited fan), a cassette tape of Chinese children's songs, plastic (filled) water guns, and a broken cymbol signed by the band.
- "Dear Lindsay" off the band's only album, was written by Peng for a girl he befriended off the internet. Lindsay was a big fan of the band, who also had a penchant to get into physical relationships just to feel loved. Hence the line in the song, "why don't you learn to love yourself, before you try to love somebody else".
- At the end of "The Stars Don't Shine As Bright Anymore", several hidden tracks can be heard. Including bassist, Josh Mullenite, singing "Ken Is Sexy", as well as guitarist, Joe Pompa prank calling a couple of friends.
- Before starting Suspecting Afterglow, Ken Peng wrote parodies of popular songs with the act, "Smashing Grapes". Their biggest hit was a parody of Christina Aguilera's "Genie In A Bottle". Recordings by the group can still be found on the internet.
- The group's demo for Atlantic Records was recorded with Steve Simpson, the father of a popular local band at the time, Code 55 (who were watched carefully by the label). The recording equipment used for the CD was later bought by Ken for $1000 and was used to record the band's only album.
- The band has admitted drawing influences from Dashboard Confessional, to Evergreen Terrace, to Green Day.
- "The One You Cannot Have", perhaps the song the band is best known for, was written by Peng AbOUT a girl he had a crush on since 6th grade.