One Way Out Speaks Freedom in Black Lungs (and a Broken Heart)

My first introduction to One Way Out was as an open-mic host at Villain and Saint in Bethesda, MD, which closed its doors on September 30, 2019. That would mean I had the pleasure of catching their music careers beginning to develop at the ground floor, before many of them had turned eighteen, similar to my exposure to Southern Maryland rockers Flippin’ Eyelids. Today’s young rock bands have a leg-up on previous generations in that their parents have been watching a two-decade or longer restructuring of the music business, which has yet to settle into its ‘final’ form. The family units that manage these young artists and develop them into career minded individuals are much more aware of their intellectual property, and the ability to harness the various benefits that technology and connectedness afford. 

They aren’t waiting to be signed. They are not waiting to be discovered. They are putting in the legwork and gaining crucial industry experience along the way, establishing their destinations on their journey as lifelong independent musicians. One Way Out is one such band, having released their latest single “Black Lungs (and a Broken Heart),” on January 1, 2021. The track was recorded at Capitol Hill’s Ivakota studios with engineer and producer Ben Green (Fairweather), with whom the band worked with for their 2019 full-length album Cosmic Beat, which earned their nomination for Best Hard Rock Album in the 2020 Wammies (Washington Area Music Awards).

The band formed all the way back in 2012 with Josh Gaba (Lead Vocals), Jake Schaefer (Lead Guitar), and Giulio Iacoviello (Bass Guitar) being the three remaining original members. After a year, Geist Topping took over as the drummer, and in 2015, Ari Rubenstein (Keyboard) joined the group. Since their debut 2018 EP Black & White, One Way Out has consistently been releasing music that has paid homage to 60’s and 70’s rock influences simultaneously alongside modern hard rock, metal and jazz influences. The band praises bands like The Doors and Led Zeppelin as primary sources of inspiration, and they have an intricate plot line and lyrical narrative for a character they developed called “Freedom Man,” a nod to fictional characters appearing in music such as the David Bowie character Ziggy Stardust. The resulting sound that might reflect One Way Out the most would be Buckcherry, with whom both bands share a common influence in The Eagles. The band also takes on the aggression of punk emanating from the local DC scene and the philosophies of current acts, such as The Murlocs, Oh Sees and Tame Impala.