The Beginning & Everything After

The Afters are a Dove Award-winning Christian rock quartet that pair earworm melodies with upbeat lyrics focusing on hope, joy, and perseverance. The band has issued six albums, including 2008's chart-topping Never Going Back to OK, since finding success in the late aughts/mid-2010s with CCM radio hits like "Beautiful Love," "Light Up the Sky," and "Life Me Up." 2024 saw the Afters kick off a new album cycle with the uplifting single "God Is with Us."

Formed in the early 2000s by four Starbucks employees in Mesquite, Texas, the Afters initially operated under the name Blisse. Under their original moniker, members Marc Dodd (drums), Matt Fuqua (guitar and vocals), Josh Havens (vocals and guitar), and Brad Wigg (bass and vocals) released an EP and an album (2001's When the World Is Wonderful) before learning that there was another Blisse out there and changing their name to the Afters.

After making a name for themselves in the Dallas music scene, the Afters scored a deal with Epic and released their major-label debut in 2005, entitled I Wish We All Could Win. The album was a hit on the Christian charts, making it to the Top 25 later that year, while their single "Beautiful Love" landed in the Hot 100 in 2006. They quickly headed back to the studio to record its follow-up, Never Going Back to OK, which saw release in February of 2008. It topped the Christian chart. With the new rhythm section of bassist Dan Ostebo and drummer Jordan Mohilowski, the Afters' third album, Light Up the Sky, followed in 2010 and reached the Top Ten. They continued their string of Christian Top Ten albums with 2013's Life Is Beautiful and 2016's Live on Forever, the latter of which marked their first release for Sony's Fair Trade Records. A greatest-hits collection called The Beginning & Everything After appeared in 2019. Fear No More, featuring the CCM radio hits "I Will Fear No More," "Well Done," and "Wait," the latter of which featured a guest spot from MercyMe, appeared later that year. In 2021, the band released its first concert album, Where Heaven Touches Earth: Live at the Grove. In 2024, the Afters issued three new singles, including "God Is with Us," in anticipation of the arrival of their forthcoming seventh long-player. ~ Chris True