You vs Yesterday, Icons of the Dayton Music Scene

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You Vs Yesterday is a pop punk band hailing from Dayton, Ohio. Their current lineup consists of Kramer Welker (vocalist), Rawley Hart (guitarist), Eric Hickman (pianist), Issac Schaefer (bassist), and Austin Labig (drummer). Issac is also the bassist in the band Seth Canan and the Carriers. Austin Labig is a part of the bands Knavery, Heavyhead, The Bruins, and Flicker//Fade. Austin owns and operates Huge Face Productions with Knavery bandmate Alex Dahle. The band debuted July 14, 2014, by making announcements on social media platforms and releasing their music video for their song “Wasted’ off of their debut EP titled “Remember This”. The EP was released on February 26, 2016, and the opening track reached over 2 million streams on Spotify. The band spoke about how they would play anywhere when they first started out. They enjoyed being on stage and sharing their music with the world. Fans loved what they heard and saw at these shows, and the band started to gain quite the following. 

They attest a big part of their success to dumb luck. They had submitted their song “Both Of Us” to Battle of the Buzz, a competition hosted by RadioU, where listeners vote on one of two songs to be played throughout the week on the station. “Both Of Us” won against other songs for an entire month, and college students across the country got to listen to it. After this, the band saw a huge spike in their following. They continued playing shows and creating music. 

They released a second EP titled “How’s This For Honesty’ on November 10, 2017. The following day, they played an EP release show at Rockstar Pro Arena in Dayton. The EP gained much deserved attention and popularity for the band. The following year in August, the band played “Dayton Is For Lovers” at Yellow Cab Tavern with Dayton legend Hawthorne Heights. Despite having a revolving door of members over the years, the band has had the chance to play countless amazing shows. This includes playing the Bunbury music festival in 2019. This was a huge moment for the band, and especially for Kramer because his biggest musical inspiration, Fall Out Boy, was headlining the festival. 

Unfortunately, the following year the pandemic struck the country, and everything got shut down, forcing the band to take a break from playing shows.  Kramer spoke about how, during this time, he struggled with both his physical and mental health, as well as the inner turmoil that was going on with the band. This inner turmoil led to Kramer, former bassist Eddie Knight, former guitarist Tyler Anderson, and former drummer Mikey Murray amicably splitting. The band did release their full-length self-titled album on November 20, 2020. 

Thankfully, Kramer was able to reconnect with original members John and Eric. They gave him the push he needed to reform the band. Starting with the three of them, they asked Austin Labig to be their drummer, despite his involvement in four other bands and producing. Austin stated, “The answer was always going to be yes. My band Knavery really looked up to You vs Yesterday when we first started out.” They were left searching for a bassist. During a band practice at their old practice space in Troy, the band ran into Issac who was practicing with another band. He overheard the band discussing a need for a bassist. He spoke to Eric, who returned to the band and said, “This guy just said he’d be our bassist.”

Their first show with their new lineup of members was May 11, 2024, for Better Anyway’s album release show for their full length album “To Love Again”. The following year, on April 11 at The Brightside, they played a show to officially announce their return to the Dayton music scene. Then on May 9 of the same year, the band released their most recent single titled “Dancings for Dancers”, which was written by their pianist, Eric. The band spoke about the new music they're working on and their creative process. They described themselves as democracy, and each member brings ideas for songs to the table. It’s all a collaborative effort when they're creating new music. The band is lucky to have Austin to produce all their music as well. Austin briefly spoke on why he started Huge Face Productions, saying, “I want to help elevate Dayton. Local bands shouldn’t have to leave the city for someone to produce their music. It’s the Dayton scene vs the world.” 

Later this month, the band will be playing a knockout of a show that will further highlight their talent and the Dayton music scene. Issac Reeder, owner of IK Promotions, was the one to book this show and has booked numerous epic Dayton shows in the past. Hit The Lights, a pop punk band from Lima, will be kicking off the 20 year anniversary tour for their album “This Is A Stickup… Don’t Make It A Murder.” on April 23 with local bands Better Anyway and You vs Yesterday. You won’t want to miss out on seeing You Vs Yesterday with their captivating stage presence and phenomenal songs.