Our Future Leaders is an Orlando based rock band. With intricate guitars, heart-pounding rhythms, and emotionally-charged vocals, Our Future Leaders EP, “Machines”, breaks free from the status quo.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band:
Brian Strean: Singer/Songwriter/Guitar
Daniel Blume: Drums
Victor Randle: Bass
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Our Future Leaders? How long has the band been around?
Brian Strean: I moved to Orlando, FL from Jacksonville, FL and started the first band with a couple Jacksonville buddies called Breach of Peace. We played a bunch of shows for a while, recorded a few demos, & eventually changed the name to Our Future Leaders. We’ve had several members come and go over time, but as Our Future Leaders we’ve been together since about 2010-2011. Daniel was in a band called I Will Break Thee before he joined to record our first EP “Machines” in 2011. Victor has been in several bands before playing with us, such as Autumn Empire & Empyrean, but he's also currently playing with our friends Backstabber.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
The name Our Future Leaders essentially came from asking the question “Who is the music for?” There are a lot of political themes and world views because I write about my world around me. Hopefully, the idea is to inspire people who may someday become our future leaders. The original name was Breach of Peace which came from having the police called on us jamming in the garage as teenagers. The police officer walked up and said he was called due to us “breaching the peace”, then asked if he could jam on the drums. He was pretty good.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
Brian Strean: A lot of the lyrics are written out of frustration or anger which I think happens to make awesome rock music. There are many political themes and world issues which are important to me. “Kill the Youth” for instance, is about our broken education system and consumerism affecting young people. Our latest song “You’re the Void” is written about the current disconnect between people and that feeling of worthlessness. Music is a good outlet to voice those kinds of thoughts and ideas without isolating groups of people. It can bring all types of people together and that’s a special thing. I'm sure the topics will change over time, but I expect many will be recurring.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
The first band I really got into was Rush when I was like 8 years old. I would listen to A Farewell to Kings cassette on the bus to school with this little radio. I grew up in the 90’s, so I’m heavily influenced by bands like the Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Silverchair, etc. But I'm also into classics like Zeppelin, Queen, Prince, George Clinton, Bill Withers.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
Brian Strean: It was probably Collective Soul. They were my favorite band growing up and I've seen them perform several times. Aside from some incredible songs, the singer Ed Roland is a master showman. He does all these cool moves throwing the mic stand around effortlessly and dancing all over the stage, it's amazing.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
Some guitar and vocal warm ups, prep the water and beer, and neck stretches are essential. Head banging causes neck pain. Stretch that neck.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Performing at the House of Blues. Definitely the best show we've ever done and we met so many new fans. The venue is iconic.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Rage Against the Machine would have been amazing. Many of the themes in our music echos what they wrote about and it's incredible how relevant it still is. Silverchair would be another band from the past I would have loved to tour with. That band evolved from the Nirvana grunge era into this symphonic rock orchestra like no other. The energy on that tour would be insane haha.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Add our new song “You're the Void” on Spotify and follow us on Instagram @ourfutureleaders and Facbeook. Thanks to all of our fans who have supported us over the years. We've got a lot more music coming soon.