October Sky

October Sky is a 1999 American biographical film directed by Joe Johnston, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, and Laura Dern. It is based on the true story of Homer H. Hickam, Jr., a coal miner's son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 to take up rocketry against his father's wishes, and who eventually became a NASA engineer. Most of the film was shot in rural East Tennessee, including Oliver Springs, Harriman and Kingston in Morgan and Roane counties. The movie mostly received a positive critical reception and is still celebrated in the regions of its setting and filming.

Title

October Sky is an anagram of Rocket Boys, the title of the 1998 book upon which the movie is based. It is also used in a period radio broadcast describing Sputnik 1 as it crossed the "October sky". Homer Hickam stated that "Universal Studios marketing people got involved and they just had to change the title because, according to their research, women over thirty would never see a movie titled Rocket Boys" so Universal Pictures changed the title to be more inviting to a wider audience. The book was later re-released with the name in order to capitalize on interest in the movie.

October Sky (band)

October Sky is a Canadian alternative rock band based in Montreal. Formed in 2000 by lead vocalist Karl Raymond and drummer Alex Racine, the musical group was soon joined by keyboardist Yanik Rouleau to make the current line up of the band. Both former bassist Gabriel Lobato (2000 to 2007) and Andrew Walker (2007 to 2012) played for October Sky but left for personal reasons. Their sound has been compared to the likes of Muse, Radiohead, Coldplay and U2.

To date, October Sky have released two full length albums - Hell Isn't My Home (2008) and The Aphotic Season (2012), and three EP - October Sky EP (2006), Green and Beautiful EP (2010), 'Live in Montreal EP (2011).

History

Early years (2000-2005)

October Sky originated from the suburbs of Montreal in 2000, when high school friends Karl Raymond and Alex Racine started playing hard rock music together. When keyboardist Yanik Rouleau joined in 2004, the style of music they played evolved to a more progressive and alternative feel. Shortly after Yanik joined the band, they entered in and won a local battle of the bands contest called Exposure, among 85 bands. The positive feedback they received therein prompted them to go on a small tour in regional areas of Quebec in 2005, including shows in and around Montreal. During this time, they took home yet another battle of the bands contest called Concours Studio Sixieme Sens. The prize for the latter involved a substantial amount of recording time, where they recorded their first eponymous EP. It was at Studio Sixieme Sens that the band learned the ropes in recording procedures and techniques, where they were given the opportunity to experiment and start to truly define their sound.