Fists of Phoenix aren't of this world

Have you ever felt like you're being watched? Fists of Phoenix know the feeling well, which maybe should be expected since they are often performing on stages throughout the area. But their new EP, "In the Events of 1961," considers the possibility that whoever's watching could be otherworldly.

Formed from the ashes of a couple different local bands, the members of Fists of Phoenix first met one another while still in high school. Fists of Phoenix singer Daniel Seabaugh credits guitarist Ian Bolton with getting everyone together again, following the learning experience that their previous bands ended up being.

And apparently those lessons were learned well. Instead of simply being a collection of songs each distinctly different thematically, the band's EP instead consists of one overriding concept.

"It's about being prepared for what's coming. When the world goes crazy and countries start parachuting in on us, are we going to be ready?" Seabaugh said. "You can't always rely on our government or troops, if someone's kickin' in your front door."

Many of the songs also deal with alien abduction and being in space. Seabaugh said the last track on the EP, "Zeta Reticuli," deals with the story of Betty and Barney Hill, which is an alien abduction story that's one of the earliest to deal with "missing time." Having occurred in 1961, this is where Fists of Phoenix drew inspiration for the name of their EP, but the concept itself arose a little differently.

"There's this creek out on the end of town and I used to go out there with my acoustic," Seabaugh said. "It's real clear and you can see the sky. I would always see things, and I got real deep into thinking about [alien abduction] for a long time. I thought for a while they were definitely trying to get me, and that's where the whole concept for the record started."

As for the success of the band, Seabaugh says that they aren't necessarily out to conquer other worlds. Instead, they are more interested in leaving a statement that will last longer than their own lives.

"We can be local for the rest of the time we're playing together, as long as someone gets the message that we're trying to get across to them," Seabaugh said. "We don't necessarily want to be rock stars or anything, we just want people to hear the stuff."

For more information on Fists of Phoenix and how to get their EP, visit their website at www.myspace.com/fistsofphoenix.