Dothan band rocks — with the help of a Destin resident

The musicians of Aerias may change, but the vision for their music remains, members of the band say.

“So many things can go wrong, but everyone has to be committed to the success of the group,” drummer Grant Robinson of the Dothan-based rock group told The Log. “Different people bring different influences and ideas. Those ideas mesh into something that no one player could have created alone.

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See a video from the band at thedestinlog.com. For more about the band or to download some songs, visit www.myspace.com/aeriastheband.

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“When you're part of a real band, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts, but these same differences that bring needed creativity almost always bring conflict! We have to be committed to get along with each other and succeed.”

The two-year-old band changed singers and bass guitarists several times before settling on its current lineup, which includes Destin vocalist Blake Cody alongside Alex Glenn on bass guitar, Cole Robison on drums, Blake Johnson on guitar and Grant Robinson on drums.

Aerias released a five-song “extended play” CD this year and is shooting for a full-length album in 2010. The group has performed in Destin at Nightown, at the Swamp on Okaloosa Island, and in Dothan, their home base. And its performance this summer in Atlanta’s Five Spot club aired live on the Web site dirtysouthtv.tv.

“We were happy to share a live performance with our fans who live outside of the Southeastern region where we typically play,” Robison said, “and it was a great opportunity to make some new fans.”

Cody told the Dothan Eagle he started singing with his church at 10, performed in several bands in high school and worked in the music industry in California before heading back home and joining Aerias.

Cody said Robison, Robinson and Johnson had met playing in another band that broke up over creative differences, then got together and formed Aerias.

Robinson said it’s often hard to get the right mix of performers for a band “and hard to keep them once you do ... Fortunately for us, we have found a lot of shared interests and we enjoy hanging out with each other as friends! That's real important in a band!”

Along with its Dirty South broadcast, the band also has a MySpace page, which Johnson said is how their producer, Brett Hestla, became aware of the band: “He liked our music and offered to help us.”

All five band members have day jobs; Robison said their goal is to keep making and playing music as long as they can.

“Music should make people feel something,” Robinson said. “Feel what we were feeling when we wrote a song, or feel what we feel when we're playing it. We want our music and stage performance to draw them into the energy and release that is rock and roll. We want them to leave with a song or two stuck in their head, wanting to hear it again.

“Playing music for people is the best job in the world!” Johnson added.