Thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Open Door Policy mainly started as a way for Casey (lead vocalist and lyricist) to bring music to his words and ideas. Since lyrical writing was his strong suit but he didn’t have much of a musical bone in his body, he gathered up a few friends who did and the rest is history!
The band was formed in 2015 and we first started practicing out of the warehouse a former employer graciously let us use during off-hours. Now we’re lucky enough to have a band member who has a house for regular practice. Our initial sound was played straight and very raw – but as the band and the people in it have grown and changed over the years, our music has really evolved as well. We appreciate all our music, but we’re especially proud of the music we’re creating now.
Regardless of the sound though, or the people in the band, we’ve always strived to create music that tackles mental health, society, relationships, and social issues. As the lyricist, Casey has always strived to create something that shines a light on the dark spots of ourselves and our world, but also offers comfort and solidarity to those who are struggling – and is ultimately hopeful and uplifting; and maybe sometimes even offers solutions. Ultimately, we want to encourage everyone to be kinder to themselves and others.
Because of our focus on mental health and social issues, we’re always especially keen to take part in advocacy where we can. We’ve played at numerous advocacy events and fundraisers over the years, such as Logan Pride (multiple times), Battle for Mental Health, Mutts for Mental Health, and Audientis. In general, we play multiple shows across Utah every year.
Currently, Open Door Policy consists of Casey on bass and vocals, Nette on guitar, David on drums, and Kat on keys. We’ve just released our new EP, Simplification, which is now available on all platforms. It is kind of a mid-30s look at slowing down and enjoying the moment – and taking things more in stride than maybe you did in your 20s.
I’d encourage everyone to check out our music at www.opendoorpolicy.us – and to join our mailing list so you can be notified when we play events, release new music, or offer awesome discounts on merch. We love connecting with and rewarding our fans!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are struggles with any band. The lineup has changed over the years for a variety of reasons – though mostly due to members moving away. Each time that happens, there’s a bit of starting from scratch: New schedules have to be made, new members need to catch up on the current discography, and group dynamics have to be re-established.
And most local bands can attest that music and events in general are very difficult industries. Getting gigs, gaining recognition, and growing your fanbase is a never-ending process. Never mind making enough revenue from shows, merch, music sales, and streaming that you actually make a profit!
Additionally, networking, marketing, and business acumen are a large part of “success” in any industry. For a band that just wants to play music for people who enjoy it, dealing with these other aspects of the industry is not as much fun as simply playing the shows and making the music – it can be downright grueling at times. I’m sure many artists can sympathize with this!
That said, Open Door Policy has been very lucky in many respects. We’ve got a dedicated fanbase that is growing, we’re connected to some great bands who are a blast to play alongside, and we’ve made friends with venues and event organizers. At the end of the day, we are able to make music and play it for people who enjoy it – and that is incredibly rewarding.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Open Door Policy is an indie rock band from Logan, Utah. We’ve been around since 2015.
We’re known for a pretty unique and wide-ranging sound. We can go from straight punk to a soft-rock ballad in the blink of an eye. We’re also known for our lyrics focusing on mental health, social issues, kindness, and hope.
We love to support mental health and social causes – which has led us to take part in multiple advocacy events and fundraisers.
Among bands and venues, we’re known for always being willing to hop on board a show, fill a cancellation, and help out any way we can.
We believe strongly that people need to take care of each other – and try to do the best we can to emulate that in our music and actions.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
We try to be very transparent, open, and honest. We don’t want to create any surprises for people – except maybe by surprising them with new music!
Whenever we’re approached by someone new about doing a gig, we always make sure they’ve heard our music before or direct them to our page so they can do so. We always want to make sure we’re the right band for what they’re looking for so their audience has a great time.
Perhaps something people might not know – though could suspect – is that we’ve turned down potential gigs and even potential band members who didn’t fit our ideals. We don’t tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and the like.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.opendoorpolicy.us
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/
opendoorpolicyus/ - Facebook: www.facebook.com/
opendoorpolicy - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
opendoorpolicy_ - Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/
UCSRJdHsIv_3zthuA7Wq5wBA - Other: opendoorpolicy.bandcamp.com
Image Credits
Jesse Walker
