Alt-Rockers Elsewhere on “Don’t You Believe Me Baby”

Playfully punky yet prog leaning, Boston-based alt-rock trio Elsewhere continues to chisel out a well-earned reputation as beacons of truly immersive rock, seamlessly weaving between genres and philosophical musings without foregoing an ounce of wicked rebelliousness. Fronted by originator and visionary Michael Aroian, their most recent release, Life… is a Fraction, proved they could rock not just for fun, but with intention—diving headfirst into a fascinating, semi-autobiographical narrative and musical epic, tackling personal reflections and phenomena from the covid 19 pandemic and Aroian’s cancer diagnosis and recovery. But they also know how to rock for fun, mastering a smooth, electric, and groove-oriented sound that anchors their universal appeal. They’re embarking on a new, ambitious chapter with a forthcoming EP produced by Boston icon Dave Minehan and mixed by Grammy-award winning engineer Mark Needham (The Killers, Shakira, Imagine Dragons). More than just a record, it’s a rallying cry that Elsewhere is forging ahead with its spirit intact. They remain a band unafraid to evolve, yet grounded in the same passion that fueled them from the start, solidifying a resounding sentiment: what people have been searching for “elsewhere” has been here all along.

Discovering a diamond-in-the-rough track from a wildly popular band can feel like uncovering a decades-old secret—or a message in a bottle, anyone? That’s exactly how it felt when Aroian stumbled upon a virtually unknown, rough-around-the-edges Police demo on YouTube about a decade ago. “The Police were essentially my Beatles,” said Aroian, “and I think many Gen Xers growing up in the ’80s and ’90s feel the same way.” So Elsewhere set out to pay homage and breathe new life into the forgotten gem, reviving the distinctive sound of “Don’t You Believe Me Baby” for a modern-day audience. Paying tribute to The Police isn’t exactly uncharted territory—it takes real talent and tenacity to honor their legacy with both reverence and originality. With impressive finesse, Elsewhere’s meticulous arrangement, instrumentation, and production preserve the soul of the original track. Anyone listening with a close ear can hear whispers of Sting, Copeland, and Summers simmering beneath the surface, while the band takes it on their own creative journey, revealing exactly what the world has been missing. So it’s no surprise that the track has taken off—racking up over half a million Spotify streams and another 250K YouTube views, earning a full-page feature in the Boston Herald, and most importantly, putting these innovative rockers on the map—where they’ve stayed ever since.

Not just any band has what it takes to open for the legendary Our Lady Peace, especially not at one of the most historic venues on their home turf. But Elsewhere isn’t just any band. Their sold out live performance at The Paradise Rock Club in Boston, at the tail end of 2021, stands as the pinnacle of their efforts to date, a momentous milestone on the band’s spanning journey. They took the stage when the world needed them most—when pandemic fears were beginning to fade and devoted fans were finally venturing out to shows again, many for the first time in what felt like forever. Elsewhere’s commanding stage presence is approachably ferocious, radiating a raw rock-n’-roll energy that declares a simple message: anything is possible with persistence and unwavering drive. Each member is fully immersed in the moment, pouring their hearts out to a crowd of over 900 head-nodding fans. The footage offers just a small glimpse of the full performance and accompanying mini-documentary—a behind-the-scenes, intimate look at this defining moment in the band’s enduring legacy for all to soak up.

What did the early days of Elsewhere look like? How has the band evolved since then?

The early days were a wide-eyed/anything goes choose your choose-your-own type of experience. We just wanted to play shows and meet girls. Before we settled on being a power trio, Elsewhere was a 4 piece and in its earliest incarnation was a hardcore band, but that morphed into some form of American punk/rip off grunge because even though we were also influenced by classic and progressive rock, with a tinge of new wave…we couldn’t play our instruments as well as we should have been able to. That’s not so much the case now, but I still feel like I should be sharpening my guitar playing skills before every show. Back then, we didn’t know what we didn’t know. And still don’t exactly as things move too quickly. But one thing we are better at now is writing and recording songs. In the end, despite all of the extraneous noise in this industry, that is all that should matter. What else can we say? Perhaps that we miss terrestrial radio…

Tell us a little bit about working with Dave Minehan and Mark Needham on your upcoming EP. What did they bring to this project?

 They both are brilliant in their way. Not many people know this, but Dave has filled in on guitar for Aerosmith, opened for David Bowie, and was the touring guitarist for Paul Westerberg and The Replacements. He is the closest thing to being the 4th member of “Elsewhere” and has an uncanny ability to optimize songwriting and take a track to another level. He has been able to make good songs great and bad songs good. While he hates me documenting our studio sessions on social media, I know in the end he loves what he does, and he is a New England legend. With Mark Needham, what can I say? The man has worked with numerous legends and is single-handedly responsible for producing one of the best albums of the Century in “The Killers” Hot Fuss! He and I got along immediately, and he has a mysterious ability to take my sonic vision and make it a reality with a power I could have never imagined. He is the nicest, most approachable guy in the business and is essentially the George Martin of modern rock.

How did you stumble upon The Police’s virtually unknown demo for “Don’t You Believe Me Baby?”

Many years ago, I had gone down a Police rabbit hole on YouTube. I think it was probably me looking for old concert footage wherever I could find it. At some point, I got a phone call and walked away from my computer. Following the call, I was further distracted and puttering around my house when all of a sudden I heard from the distance the demo from 1981 of “Don’t You Believe Me Baby”. What was this, I thought? The song to me was hypnotic…Even though the sound quality was poor, I eventually realized that this had to be covered and brought back to life. After consulting with the original Police guitarist, Henry Padovani, on Facebook, he gave me the courage to give it a go. And so we did!

Did you face any challenges in honoring The Police’s original track while adding your sound? What was the production process like?

Yes, in a word-drums! There were no drums on the demo; it was just a drum machine. At the point of time we recorded the studio version, Elsewhere was in between drummers, and I was recovering from cancer. Dave Minehan proved his genius once again by bringing in the excellent session drummer Mike Levesque. Mike is a big-time Police fan, and in all honesty, if you didn’t know any better, you would think it was Stewart Copeland. And now our current drummer, Adam Soucy, is also able to re-create this performance and vibe live. The production process in a way was an advantage for this tune in that were were able to more easily resurrect a forgotten track that was over 35 years old with modern technology and perspective. As an artist, I did my best to channel the spirit of Sting and Andy Summers while also trying to infuse my humble vision for the song.

Take us back to the moment just before you took the stage at The Paradise Rock Club. Were you nervous to open for Our Lady Peace?

So yes and no. We were so excited to be opening that show for them, and there was a lot of hype for us and our fans/friends ahead of that date. We had waited a long time to play The Paradise, and there have been so many legendary artists that have graced that stage, including The Police, U2, and Blondie. But during load-in and sound check, we met the band, and they were super nice to us-it relieved any tension we had. There was a point where I did start getting nervous as the club began to fill up to its 900+ capacity. We had never played a show to that many people before, and at one point, my drummer Adam insisted that I not leave our green room for fear of my freaking out. I didn’t listen to him, of course, and had a minor panic attack as a result…But as the moment arrived and we walked onto that stage, we seized it. We played our asses off, and the crowd responded enthusiastically. We fed off that…at the end of our set, the three of us were ecstatic to varying degrees. I remember Adam saying to me emphatically, “WE DID THIS”!

This performance took place during a time when venues were just starting to reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic. What role do you think music plays in bringing hope and healing to listeners?

I think music has a natural ability to speak to us in ways that can’t necessarily be articulated. It creates imagery and helps us relive memories as well as make new ones. It hits us emotionally. Most importantly, despite the proliferation of technology, music is human. The COVID-19 pandemic took away the human experience from us for a little bit, but by late ’21, there was an insatiable appetite by some people to experience live music again and reconnect to humanity. I firmly believe that is the key that will now help us through this uncertainty, borne by both the absolute commoditization of the music industry at the expense of the artist and the machination of music via AI at the expense of the listener. In the end, live music may be what saves us!

How do you hope your listeners and viewers react to this lively performance?

 I hope they go to more of our shows to see what we have in store-there are big plans! Don’t give up on live music. At some point, it will be the only thing that will allow you to differentiate from AI-generated schlock!

What excites you most about the direction your music is heading?

 If I am going to be completely honest, the band is walking the tightrope between potentially getting to the next level and total failure. Sonically, we are stronger than ever before, and I feel really good about the rhythm section that supports me – but the business of music is awful. There are pitfalls and bottlenecks at every turn. As of now, we are recording a new EP that I think has the potential to speak to a lot of people based on some of the tracks, so that does excite me…We have taken care of the most important thing, I believe – the music. Here’s to manifesting that everything else comes together before the end of the World!