{"id":11763,"date":"2016-11-16T05:30:52","date_gmt":"2016-11-16T10:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=11763"},"modified":"2016-11-16T08:10:40","modified_gmt":"2016-11-16T13:10:40","slug":"blue-october-not-so-blue-anymore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2016\/11\/16\/blue-october-not-so-blue-anymore\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue October: Not so Blue Anymore"},"content":{"rendered":"

Texas-based Blue October<\/strong> enjoyed a half dozen or so charting singles in the first decade of the 21st<\/sup> century; their angst-filled songs struck a chord with listeners who \u2013 though weaned on a steady diet of \u201cemo\u201d \u2013 wanted something that rocked more. But toward the end of that decade, leader Justin Furstenfeld<\/strong> spiraled into depression, a condition caused by and\/or made worse by the crumbling of his marriage and substance abuse. Eventually, he started getting the help he needed. But by the time of the release of the band’s 2013 album Sway<\/i>, every track would be marked \u201cexplicit\u201d on playlists; clearly Furstenfeld was still going through rough times.<\/p>\n

What a difference a couple of years can make. Today, Justin Furstenfeld is in a much happier place, and he’s confronting head-on many of the issues that led to his problems. That renewed sense of being is manifested in the uncharacteristically upbeat Home<\/i>, released in 2016.<\/p>\n

\"blue_october\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can start your day over whenever you want to,\u201d says Furstenfeld, now nearly five years sober. \u201cI’ve been taking [antidepressant prescription drug] Paxil since I was 14,\u201d he says, \u201cbut it never worked, because I put alcohol and drugs on top of it. I would just sit at home and mope.\u201d These days he has a new approach to life. \u201cI\u2019m active, I focus on the positive,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t feed my negativity with alcohol and drugs; I wake up clear-headed and I empower myself every day to make healthy decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

That outlook is reflected in his lyrics. Unlike the tortured, melancholy subject matter of Blue October’s earlier music, the songs on Home<\/i> effectively convey Furstenfeld’s healthier mental and emotional state. Looking back at his earlier music, Furstenfeld observes that \u201cI was a selfish writer back then. I thought that the world revolved around me. I used to self-medicate a lot and call it experimentation, when in actuality it was more of a crutch. And it was quite the negative influence on my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fast-forward to current day. \u201cWhat a glow when you’re living true,\u201d sings Furstenfeld on the title track and single off Home<\/i>. \u201cTruly I can’t wait to see what’s around the corner.\u201d The songwriter’s hard-won positivity shines through most all of the tracks on the record. \u201cIt\u2019s insane how positivity is just a magnetic form,\u201d he says, noting that the somewhat radical change in Blue October’s lyrics hasn’t cost them their fan base. The band’s followers \u201chave made that change with me, and we\u2019ve gotten new ones,\u201d Furstenfeld says.<\/p>\n