{{Short description|American music duo known for producing albums in a day}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = First of October | image = {{multiple image|total_width=300|border=infobox|image1=Andrew Huang, 2024.jpg|image2=Rob Scallon 2014.jpg}} | caption = Huang (left) and Scallon (right) | origin = [[Chicago, Illinois]], United States | genre = [[Rock (music)|Rock]], [[pop (music)|pop]], [[power pop]], [[Midwest emo]], [[indie rock]], [[punk rock]], [[funk metal]], [[progressive rock]], [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] | years_active = 2018–2019, 2021–2025 | current_members = [[Rob Scallon]] * [[Andrew Huang (musician)|Andrew Huang]] }}
'''First of October''' is an American-Canadian indie rock duo formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stolzer-Gary |first1=Isaac |title=Here's What An Album Written And Recorded In 10 Hours Sounds Like |url=https://geargods.net/new-music/album-written-and-recorded-10-hours/ |website=GearGods |accessdate=May 13, 2020 |date=October 16, 2018}}</ref> It was formed between musical YouTubers [[Rob Scallon]] and [[Andrew Huang (musician)|Andrew Huang]] from an idea where they would go into a [[recording studio]] and write and record a 10-track album in a 10-hour recording session. After their first album ''Ten Hours'', each subsequent album recording session was increased to 12 hours. The duo's name is derived from the date they recorded their first album. The band has recorded and released seven albums of the sort since 2018, with plans to repeat the project annually.<ref name=rs2019 group=a>{{cite web |last1=Scallon |first1=Rob |title=Album in a Day 2019 (w/ Andrew Huang) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qonY5BP_vR8 |website=YouTube |access-date=20 April 2021 |language=en |date=26 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Mullen |first1=Matt |title=Watch Andrew Huang and Rob Scallon write and record an album from scratch in one day |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/watch-andrew-huang-rob-scallon-write-record-album-one-day |access-date=28 October 2021 |work=MusicRadar |date=28 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
== History == ===Background=== [[Rob Scallon|Scallon]] and [[Andrew Huang (musician)|Huang]] both rose to prominence as internet musicians. Huang founded the website "Songs to Wear Pants To" as a way to earn money for commissioned songs. Scallon was inspired by Huang's project, and started a personal [[MySpace]] page to promote his own music.<ref name=cr>{{cite news |last1=Galil |first1=Leor |title=Chicago's most popular young metal guitarist plays on YouTube, not onstage |url=https://chicagoreader.com/music/chicagos-most-popular-young-metal-guitarist-plays-on-youtube-not-onstage/ |access-date=28 October 2023 |work=Chicago Reader |date=29 March 2017}}</ref> Huang moved to YouTube in 2006,<ref name="Tingen">{{cite magazine|last=Tingen|first=Paul|date=May 2017|title=Internet Famous: How three musicians have cracked the code and made it big on YouTube |url=http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/wp/index.php/internet-famous/|magazine=AudioTechnology |location=Australia|publisher=Alchemedia Publishing|access-date=July 13, 2017|archive-date=July 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707084325/http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/wp/index.php/internet-famous|url-status=live}}</ref> and Scallon followed in 2007. The two began to frequently collaborate on the platform.<ref name=cr/>
Both Huang and Scallon were members of the [[Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers|Perfect Strangers]], the backing band for [[Hank Green]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dickinson |first1=Chrissie |title=Hank Green merges online, real worlds at Metro |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-hank-green-review-20150419-story.html |access-date=28 October 2023 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=20 April 2015}}</ref> The group released one album in 2014, ''Incongruent''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dunn |first1=Patrick |title=A music career spurred on by a video blog |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/04/17/hank-green-video-blog/25891117/ |access-date=28 October 2023 |work=The Detroit News |date=17 April 2015}}</ref>
Since the formation of First of October in 2018, Huang and Scallon have continued to collaborate outside of the band. For example, the duo premiered the YouTube series ''Sonic Boom'' in 2023. The production features Huang and Scallon completing various musical challenges or experimenting with unique instruments.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Philips |first1=Derrick |date=15 May 2023 |title=Local band Curb Service featured on popular YouTube series |url=https://www.smilepolitely.com/splog/local-band-curbservice-featured-on-popular-youtube-series/ |access-date=28 October 2023 |website=Smile Politely}}</ref>
===2018–2020: ''Ten Hours'' and ''Gourmet Ravioli''=== First of October formed in late 2018 for a [[YouTube]] video where the two would write and record an entire album in a single 10-hour session. Their first album, ''Ten Hours'', was recorded in Uptown Recording studio on October 1, 2018, and released two weeks later on October 15. The album was mixed and produced by Rob Ruccia of Uptown Recording and formerly of [[nu metal]] band [[From Zero (band)|From Zero]]. There was no tour to support the album, which was self-released online. Huang announced the breakup of the band in a video containing all the album's songs, "The band name is the First of October, because that was the day we recorded the album, and the band doesn't exist any other day of the year!"<ref group=a>{{cite web |last1=Huang |first1=Andrew |title=We had 10 hours to make an album. (w/ Rob Scallon) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYnsuCt3vLI |website=YouTube |access-date=20 April 2021 |language=en |date=15 October 2019}}</ref> In 2025, Scallon stated that their original goal was to make "the worst album ever", as he believed it would increase the entertainment value of the video. He admitted to the difficulty of the project, explaining that "making the video was harder than making the album".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Borg |first1=Janelle |last2=Weller |first2=Phil |title=“The first one was a struggle. Making the video was harder than making the album. I was fully expecting that it was going to be a train wreck”: How guitarist and YouTube sensation Rob Scallon manages to write – and record – a full album in one day |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/how-rob-scallon-manages-to-write-and-record-a-full-album-in-one-day |access-date=21 October 2025 |work=Guitar World |date=30 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
Exactly one year after the recording of their first album, the band announced in a rerelease of their song "Don't Go" (featuring Brandon Acker on [[theorbo]]) that they had reunited in the studio to record a second album to be released later that month.<ref group=a>{{cite web |last1=Scallon |first1=Rob |title=Rob Scallon & Andrew Huang - Don't Go (ft. Brandon Acker) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7VH1oZIvDc |website=YouTube |access-date=20 April 2021 |language=en |date=1 October 2019}}</ref> This time there were more instruments than the previous year they recorded, now featuring a [[piano]], [[Synthesizer|synth]], [[12-string electric guitar]] in [[E Tuning|E{{music|flat}} tuning]], and a short scale electric guitar in F{{music|sharp}} tuning. For this session they gave themselves an additional 2 hours for lunch and a break. The album, called ''Gourmet Ravioli'' (in reference to a song on the album titled "Ravioli"), was recorded in a single 12-hour session and was released on October 26, 2019. At the end of the behind the scenes video on Scallon's YouTube channel, he hinted at another album for 2020, saying, "Thanks for being such a fan of our one day a year band. See you next year."<ref name=rs2019 group=a/> These plans were cancelled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], which Scallon announced on [[Twitter]].<ref group=a>{{Cite tweet |last1=Scallon|first1=Rob |user=RobScallon |number=1312834762743185409 |title=Unfortunately Andrew and I weren’t able to get together for another First of October album this year...}}</ref>
===2021–2022: ''Gotta Record Everything Good'' and ''CHAOS''=== On September 30, 2021, Huang uploaded a YouTube video titled "This Is the End", and Scallon posted a comment confirming he and Huang would be reuniting in the studio to record their third album for 2021.<ref group=a>{{Citation|last1=Scallon|first1=Rob|date=30 September 2021|title=So glad you made it back in time for First of October! See you tomorrow :) [Comment on the video "This Is the End"]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLUOj7wQPAE&lc=Ugy-bNB_hbfxRVC6rzF4AaABAg|language=en|access-date=25 October 2022|website=YouTube}}</ref> On the first of October itself, Rob Scallon posted on the community page of his YouTube channel "First of October is Happening :)" along with a picture of their studio, now in Canada, with a 12-hour timer.<ref group=a>{{Cite web|last1=Scallon|first1=Rob|title=First of October is happening :) Edit: new album will be out on the 26th!|url=https://www.youtube.com/post/UgzGsaiwHHAGXPINmMV4AaABCQ|access-date=2021-10-01|website=YouTube}}</ref> They released their third album ''Gotta Record Everything Good'' on October 26, 2021, again with additional instruments such as ukulele, mandolin, 5 and 6-string basses, and banjo.<ref group=a>{{Cite web|last=Scallon|first=Rob|date=1 October 2021|title=Just got home :) First of October was a massive success Thanks for such a lovely time as always Canada :) First of October album 3 will be released on the 26th.|url=https://twitter.com/RobScallon/status/1446520494623166465}}</ref><ref group=a>{{Cite web|last=Huang|first=Andrew|date=24 October 2021|title=The new First of October album and videos come out Tuesday|url=https://twitter.com/andrewhuang/status/1452380336499875860|website=[[Twitter]]}}</ref> In addition, this was their first album to feature an eleventh song, which was recorded in the final three minutes.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Seah |first1=Daniel |title=Watch: Andrew Huang and Rob Scallon race against the clock to write a 10-track album in a day |url=https://www.musictech.net/news/music/andrew-huang-rob-scallon-album-in-a-day-2021-first-of-october-gotta-record-everything-good/?amp=1 |website=MusicTech |access-date=27 October 2021 |date=27 October 2021}}</ref> The title of the album comes from a recurring character in their discography called Greg, who is mentioned in “Don’t Go to My House” on ''Ten Hours,'' “Thirty-First of October” on ''Gourmet Ravioli,'' and “Greg!” on this album. Here, Greg is also an acronym for ''Gotta Record Everything Good,'' an idea that came from their engineer Rob Ruccia while Scallon and Huang were writing "I Am Not Afraid". Scallon again hinted at an upcoming album for 2022, saying "Thanks so much for being a fan of our one day a year band. See you next year."<ref group=a>{{cite web |last1=Scallon |first1=Rob |title=Album in a Day 2021 (w/ Andrew Huang) |website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDoVGhOrM28 |access-date=16 November 2022 |language=en |date=26 October 2021}}</ref>
On October 1, 2022, Huang published a video of him and Scallon writing 100 [[riff]]s in a day to prove that First of October was true improvisation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Parker |first1=Matt |title=Rob Scallon and Andrew Huang write 100 riffs in a day, with typically brilliant results |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/news/rob-scallon-andrew-huang-100-riffs-in-a-day |access-date=25 October 2022 |work=Guitar World |date=10 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref> This would be the inspiration for their song "Riff Lord" on the following album. That day, Scallon uploaded a video to [[Twitter]] announcing the return of the band, now back in Chicago.<ref group=a>{{Cite tweet |date=1 October 2022|last1=Scallon|first1=Rob |user=RobScallon |number=1576233489942331395 |title=IT’S THE FIRST OF OCTOBER!! Our one-day-a-year band is back together to write and record our 4th album in a day.}}</ref> Huang uploaded the same video to his Twitter. Huang and Scallon also announced that they would be releasing more merchandise, including t-shirts, beanies, pins, and [[cassette tape]]s distributed through [[DFTBA Records]].<ref group=a>{{cite web |title=First of October Full Bundle |url=https://store.dftba.com/collections/rob-scallon/products/first-of-october-full-bundle |website=DFTBA |access-date=25 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Throughout the day Huang and Scallon put out a series of twelve tweets each on their personal accounts, saying the same thing as the other member, seemingly revealing the upcoming album's song titles as they were recording (two of those tweets were renaming songs). They would continue to announce the song titles like this on their subsequent albums until 2025. On October 22, Huang announced the album's name was ''CHAOS''.<ref group=a>{{Cite tweet |date=25 October 2022||last1=Huang|first1=Andrew |user=andrewhuang |number=1584947472090025986 |title=First of October's new album "CHAOS" (+ making of video) comes out tomorrow! All written and recorded in one day.}}</ref> It was released on October 26. The album was more Halloween-focused and heavier compared to their previous records, as the last two albums contained only one song centered around the holiday, whereas this album had four. This was also their first record to not mention their character, Greg, on any track.<ref group=a>{{cite web |last1=Scallon |first1=Rob |title=Album in a Day 2022 (w/ Andrew Huang) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qgiguUuhpM |access-date=5 November 2022 |website=YouTube |language=en|date=26 October 2022 }}</ref> On November 5, Scallon posted a video on his secondary YouTube channel, the video titled "Guitar pedals we used on 'CHAOS' (album in a day 2022)". At the end of the video, Rob confirmed they were planning on doing another album the following year.<ref group=a>{{cite web |last1=Scallon |first1=Rob |title=Guitar pedals we used on "CHAOS" (album in a day 2022) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC0u6bPPIIE |website=YouTube |access-date=16 November 2022|date=5 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
===2023–present: ''Across the Road'', ''Round 6'' and ''One Week''===
On October 25, 2022, the day before ''CHAOS'' was released, Scallon said on his [[Patreon]]-exclusive commentary of the behind-the-scenes video of ''CHAOS'' that he and Huang were planning on recording their next album at [[Abbey Road Studios]] in [[London]].<ref group=a>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=gsShJymGhnk |title=FOO 2022 Commentary |date=2022-10-25 |last=RobScallon2 |access-date=2024-12-14 |via=YouTube}}</ref> On October 1, 2023, Scallon posted a video on [[Twitter|X]] publicly announcing that they would be recording their fifth studio album at [[Abbey Road Studios]].<ref group=a>{{Cite tweet|number=1708463527575310547|user=RobScallon|title=It’s the First of October!|first=Rob|last=Scallon|date=October 1, 2023|access-date=October 27, 2023}}</ref> Despite report of a delay, ''Across the Road'' and its accompanying videos were released as scheduled on October 26, 2023.<ref group=a>{{Citation |title=We made an album in a day...with the Beatles' gear |date=Oct 26, 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maZoTHkRYuI |access-date=2023-10-27 |language=en}}</ref> The album's title and cover were derived from [[The Beatles]]' ''[[Abbey Road]]'' album. Other names that were considered were "Rob, Rob, Andrew, and Greg", "October's Garden", and "Here Comes The Fun". During the session, Rob stated that he was experiencing undisclosed medical issues, later revealed to be [[bipolar I disorder]], that were hindering his ability to write songs quickly, only primarily writing three tracks for the album.<ref group=a>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpMN2Rbfn2A |title=I have Bipolar 1 disorder (mania, psychosis and my mental health struggles of 2023) |date=2024-07-06 |first=Rob|last=Scallon |via=YouTube}}</ref> Scallon would later say of the session, "[The] Abbey Road First of October is actually kind of a touchy subject for me. In that it was this big awesome thing, but due to some medical stuff I had going on, I wasn't able to enjoy it. ... Honestly, I really did not have a good time at all."<ref name=":0" group=a>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=HOn6J2OWR-Q |title=Album in a Day 2024 Commentary |date=2024-11-15 |last=RobScallon2 |access-date=2024-12-14 |via=YouTube}}</ref> After the session, Scallon said that everyone who was in studio with them that day ended up contracting [[COVID-19]].<ref group=a>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=1RAvETAmLuw |title=FOO 2023 Commentary Road |date=2023-10-23 |last=RobScallon2 |access-date=2024-12-14 |via=YouTube}}</ref> Their character, Greg, was again absent in this release.
On October 1, 2024, Scallon, having fully recovered from the depression he was experiencing in 2023, announced on X that recording for the band's 2024 album had been delayed to October 19 because a team member contracted COVID-19.<ref group=a>{{Cite tweet|number=1841152537618981254|user=RobScallon|title=First of October has been pushed back...}}</ref> This was the first time the band had ever recorded a First of October album on a date other than October 1. The album, ''Round 6'', was released November 16, 2024. The album was heavily inspired by [[Video game|video games]] of the early 1990s, particularly fighting and [[Dungeon-crawler game|dungeon-crawler games]]. During recording, they used the [[Sound chip|sound chips]] of the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] and [[Game Boy|Nintendo Game Boy]] to record numerous sections of songs. They also used a [[melodica]], 2-string bass, bear bells, and 8-string electric guitar, at various points. At the beginning of recording, the band experienced over half an hour of technical difficulties relating to the Game Boy. They tried to write a song on acoustic guitar while the issues were being worked on, but decided they did not want to start with a slow song.<ref name=":0" group=a/> After the issues were resolved, the group decided to restart the 12-hour timer and start over. The album was the first since ''Gotta Record Everything Good'' to mention Greg, whose actor showed up at Uptown Recording Studio while the duo was recording the album.<ref group=a>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my2GmzXPDaw|title=Album in a day 2024 (w/ Rob Scallon)|date=16 November 2024 |last=Huang|first=Andrew |via=YouTube}}</ref> Huang was experiencing a cold on the day of recording.<ref name=":0" group=a/>
On September 30, 2025, Huang and Scallon posted pictures of themselves in a [[Guitar Center]] on social media, announcing that the 2025 album will be recorded in an open Guitar Center. That day, Scallon's wife Tamara asked the band's [[subreddit]] for [[Bingo (American version)|Bingo]] ideas for the upcoming recording session. About two weeks later, Scallon revealed the song titles for the album on social media. The album, ''One Week'', was released on October 26, 2025. For this album, the band made a concerted effort to make the songs longer, as the previous three albums were less than twenty minutes long. Recording the album in a Guitar Center gave the duo a much wider range of options than they were used to. Throughout recording, a crowd began to form around the band as they recorded, incorporating them into the recording process by asking for lyrical ideas, chords, and crowd vocals, such as on the last song ''Greg Is Coming To Town!''
== Band members == '''Current lineup''' * [[Rob Scallon]] – lead and backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, [[bass guitar]], drums, [[mandolin]], [[banjo]], ukulele, keyboards, [[balalaika]], [[theremin]], [[Percussion instrument|percussion]], harmonica, [[melodica]], [[electric upright bass|upright bass]] * [[Andrew Huang (musician)|Andrew Huang]] – lead and backing vocals, rhythm and lead guitars, drums, keyboards, bass guitar, ukulele, percussion, [[keytar]]
'''Additional personnel''' * Rob Ruccia – recording, engineering, mixing
== Discography == * ''Ten Hours'' (2018) * ''Gourmet Ravioli'' (2019) * ''Gotta Record Everything Good'' (2021) * ''CHAOS'' (2022) * ''Across The Road'' (2023) * ''Round 6'' (2024) * ''One Week'' (2025)
== References == ===Primary=== {{reflist|group=a}}
===Secondary=== {{Reflist}}
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[[Category:Indie rock musical groups from Illinois]] [[Category:American comedy rock musical groups]] [[Category:Canadian comedy rock musical groups]] [[Category:Musical groups established in 2018]]