Rare ‘pop punk’ music group practices in downtown church

Published 12:05 am Thursday, July 18, 2013

The sound of the local band Left Untold is the exact opposite of its name.

In fact, the sounds coming from the small back room of the Rescue Outreach Center Church off the Court Square, is enough to make the listener want more.

Band members agree that what makes their music unique is its genre, which they describe as “pop punk,” a type rarely heard in Covington County.

Aron Bowen, with guitarist and lead vocalist Dustin Diagle; bassist Stephen Welch, and drummer Greg Jones, make up the current lineup of Left Untold. Tyler Spivey/Star-News

Aron Bowen, with guitarist and lead vocalist Dustin Diagle; bassist Stephen Welch, and drummer Greg Jones, make up the current lineup of Left Untold.
Tyler Spivey/Star-News

“(The music) has got a very strong pop element,” said guitarist Aron Bowen of Andalusia. “It’s a fun sound, and I think, very relatable to a lot of different age groups.”

The group describes their music as that similar to bands such as Blink 182, Fall Out Boy, Nirvana and MXPX.

Bowen, with guitarist and lead vocalist Dustin Diagle; bassist Stephen Welch, and drummer Greg Jones, make up the current lineup of Left Untold.

According to Bowen, Left Untold is the first pop punk outfit in which he’s played, even though he’s been playing music locally since age 16, and although the band has yet to play live for the first time, it does have plenty of original songs in the works.

“We probably have roughly about 35 songs written,” Bowen said.

He said the band is concentrating on producing an album booking any live shows.

Left Untold was formed in 2006 by a then 13-year-old Diagle. Since then, he has seen a numerous amount of musicians come and go from the band, he said.

“I’ve probably been through at least 40 [band members} in the last seven years,” Diagle said.

Despite his frustration, Daigle said he found a dedicated musician in 18-year-old Welch.

In April 2013, Bowen joined the band after finding the group’s music online and approaching Daigle and Welch about joining the group.

Bowen later recruited Jones as a drummer, and Jones is another local musician from Covington County.

The group is inspired by pop-punk bands from the 1990s, and the members have a goal of bringing back memories of those bands.

Diagle said he hopes to get some type of response from local audiences, whether it be good or bad.

“People should give us a chance and come hear us out,” he said. “Because I’m pretty sure they’re either going to really love it or really hate it, and either way, they’re really good emotions.”

To hear a sample of their music, visit their Facebook page at Left Untold.