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Kill Miss Pretty’s Russ Rogers Revives A New Way to Live Forever

​Guitarist Russ Rogers is shifting his focus away from electro-thrash group Kill Miss Pretty and is reviving his alternative rock project A New Way to Live Forever. Receiving rave reviews from this very publication back in 2008 ANWTLF auspicious debut EP, Avalanches, raised many eyebrows. Our former music editor Jonathan Cunningham calling its catchy Kings of Leon-inspired choruses “one of the best local discs that’s come into the New Times offices in a while.” Debuting at the defunct Alligator Alley in Oakland Park alongside TV Club (who would eventually become Surfer Blood) in August 2008, the quartet displayed much promise with its chunky riffs that rivaled Seattle powerhouse Soundgarden. But, despite its snowballing success, the group disbanded shortly thereafter because of Rogers’ prior commitment to Kill Miss Pretty and guitarist Todd Evans move to Washington DC to accept a job as an architect. 

Rogers tells us he never felt right about quitting and when he decided to head back into the studio to record a mountain of material he’s been working on, he decided to use the A New Way to Live Forever moniker because “it truly fit” where he’s at right now. 

Rogers says he’s also been speaking with Evans and the two will be writing more songs together. Evans will also be making the trek down for rehearsal and shows. “Being a world-traveling architect has its advantages in frequent flyer miles,” said Rogers about his band mates future travels. Joining the two will be drummer Phill Tucciarone and bassist James Coyle (both previously with the Numb Ones) and guitarist Brian Franklin of Rat Opera fame. 

Rogers tells us he has been working non-stop since January and has about 30 songs complete. About what kind of direction he is taking the new material Rogers says “stylistically, its somewhere between Black Kids, Fugazi, and old Lenny Kravitz.” 

A new EP will be complete by summers end according to Rogers. The group has recently posted a new Tumblr page where fans can keep tabs on the revitalized quintet. For now, the group has one new number posted on there, “Till My Heart Stops Beating”— a melodic mid-tempo post-grunge dozy with a savory reverb-drenched guitar hook that sounds a bit like Candelbox, only much more authentic.Till My Heart Stops Beating (Russ’ Demo) by anewwaytoliveforever

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A New Way to Live Forever

 Jonathan Cunningham Thursday, Oct 9 2008

When local musicians Russ Rogers of Kill Miss Pretty and his partner Todd Evans put together their latest band, A New Way to Live Forever, the idea was simply to make good indie rock and not worry too much about specifics. Building off their core influences such as U2, Nirvana, and Kings of Leon, they have a knack for crafting smart tunes with catchy choruses that leave a lasting impression from the first time you hear them. After adding bassist Steve Velez and drummer Rod Thomas to the band to make a foursome, they spent six months working on material and playing a few shows here and there—but you get the feeling they’re still unveiling themselves to the local music scene. They released their first EP,Avalanche, in August, and it’s one of the best local discs that’s come into the New Timesoffices in a while. Their show this weekend has a number of solid indie-rock bands on the lineup, so if you’re one of those people who thinks the rock scene in South Florida is dead, show up at City Limits on Saturday and you’ll probably eat your words fairly quickly.

by can not meaning rehearsal in the bathroom. meaning history. some good energy came forth. it definitely helped to focus on particular songs for future jams. those being:

• More Than Anything
• Break the Fall
• No Better
• A Tide Like This
• Till My Heart Stops Beating

A new demo recording will commence next week. 3-4 songs. will post the progress.