Last week I had the pleasure of attending local band Dreaden’s ’Nightfriends EP’ Release Show at Smith’s Olde Bar with my besty/roomie/photographer Isadora. I had read a lot of positive hype aimed towards the band over Twitter the last few weeks (Yes, when done right, Twitter can successfully help you network and grow your creative endeavours…so stop hating on it and/or updating us on your lunch. Srsly) and went into the show with a little higher expectations than I might normally have.
Dreaden comes, Dreaden entertains.
And you know what? My expectations were met. No friends, they were exceeded. I enjoyed every second of the band’s dark alternative sound/appeal; it was as if Edward Cullen met The Stones and they decided to throw down in Midtown Atlanta. I chatted with the band afterwards and lead singer Kyle Dreaden was sweet enough to answer some questions. Let’s get to it!
Hey Dreaden! Great show! Are you boys all from Atlanta? How do you know each other? You may have to check me on this, but to my knowledge, every one of my brothers have been born in, or moved to Atlanta prior to our congress. Our meeting really can only be described as an “alignment of the stars.” Zak and I played together in our last band .. And Matt was the bassist for our friends, The Futurists. After the split of Zak and my previous band, I took some time off, tried the school thing for a bit. Then after about a year of “civilian life” I took a chance recording a song with my friend, Tim Brantley, at his little warehouse studio in West Atlanta. Sean, my current lead guitarist, was the engineer working those sessions. He was the first guy my age I met with a passion for dark, synthesized pop. Once we discovered our shared devotion to Depeche Mode, The Cure, and other 80′s genius, it was Mick and Keith to the end. Once I had a few songs recorded, I knew the next step was to put a band together behind it. Matt signed on for bass, and of course Zak was the only drummer I would have. We quickly discovered a need for a fifth member to round out our live show. Danny Kaufmann was a former bandmate of Zak’s from their shared time in Boone, NC. He moved down to Atlanta, moved in with Zak, and quickly found his way to our studio where the fit was confirmed.
Tell us about your new EP “The Nightfriends”. Where can we get a hold of it? The ‘Nightfriends EP’ was a product of inertia. I have an admittedly long trigger-pull. We’ve been recording literally non-stop for almost two years now, and I have definitely been taking my precious time releasing anything publicly. About five months ago, I wrote a song called ‘Nightfriends.’ Once the band had a chance to put its hands on it, it transformed into something really exciting and different from anything I had done before it. We let a few friends hear an early demo version of it, where we got a reaction that was way stronger than we had seen before. On the heels of such excitement, we decided to put as much polish on it in our home tracking studio as we could manage and release it completely for free. The response to this barely-mixed track was so immediate, we finished off two more songs of similar subject-matter (when did all you women go wrong, and I’m going to sleep with you tonight) and posted them online immediately. The ‘Nightfriends EP’ is essentially my favorite cuts from our “carnal” library.. Songs that celebrate the animal spirit in us.. The spirit that comes out when we fear, when we fight, and when we fuck. It occurred to me that as many strip club worthy sex tracks we get hit with these days, no one had quite honed in on what drives our desires as humans to behave badly. It isn’t a characteristic exclusive to any one type of person. In fact, it’s the one thing that binds us all.. We’re all human, but we’re not beyond being animals.. And maybe sometimes it’s healthy to let the animal growl, hunt, and howl at the moon..
A gaggle of cute boys (aka Dreaden) and myself. Girl, You know how I roll.
You can download that package directly from Dreadenmusic.com, which will forward you to our friends at XTMOnline.com, who have graciously hosted the files. It is worth mentioning, however, that due in great part to press support like yours, we’ve secured an angel investment to go into the studio with Graham Marsh (Cee-Lo, The Selmanaires, Gnarles Barkley) to finish Nightfriends and a few other cuts, properly. Expect to hear those new and improved tracks VERY soon. Like, next week.
All right guys. We always ask this one very important question. Do you boys prefer blondes, redheads or brunettes? I can only speak for myself, but I have to say I’m a sucker for the brunettes. However, I always seem to end up with the blondes. Go figure. Luckily, my current partner-in-crime looks striking in either disposition.
And um, I can’t help but notice how cute yall are. So who’s still on the market? You know you want love from the ladies. You’re too kind. Four out of five of us have our loyalties already in check, but there’s a certain rhythm guitarist (cough, danny) that’s flying solo.
How would you describe your sound? Romantic and Dramatic.
What’s the best/worst thing about being in such an in demand band? Well I’m flattered that you’d consider us as such, so with that, I’d have to say the best part of being a band in demand, is being a band in demand! I know I speak for all of my soldiers when I say we LOVE and live for what we do. Giving my fellow humans a show that inspires, entertains, or keeps them company is why I wake up in the morning. I’ve waited my entire life knowing that somewhere along the line I would have my chance to stand on the platform and make my case. If I’m taking your quote to heart, It would seem that the time of testimony has arrived. So, thank you for that. Get ready for a show I’ve been working on for the better part of two decades! The worst part? Man, I don’t know. I guess it’s knowing that as many ears, minds, and hearts as there are to be turned on, I can only reach so many at this point. I’m hoping to change that very soon. And again, your help doing that is GREATLY appreciated!
Who are your favorite local artists? Anyone local you wanna give a shout out? Absolutely! So much great music in Atlanta. Google Rabbit, Young Orchids, The Selmanaires, Tim Brantley, J.Kap, and Snowden.
Where can our loyal readers find Dreaden performing next? GRAVEYARD, MARCH 26th for the PROCESS 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!
And finally, what does the future have in store for Dreaden? Any particular band goals for 2010? As I mentioned when talking about the EP, Graham Marsh just signed on to help us complete our “package” for 2010. We’re REALLY excited about that. He’s an amazing talent with a track-record of great work. I can’t wait to work with him. We’re going to be putting out a TON of music, playing a TON of shows, and hopefully making a TON of new friends. This is our year to step out and make sure our name get’s spelled and pronounced properly for now on!
Awesome! Thanks for chatting boys and I’ll definitely be at your show March 19th at Graveyard Tavern. Everyone knows how I feel about Graveyard. <3 it!
And don’t forget to check out Dreaden online!
Official Site // Dreaden’s Twitter // Dreaden’s Facebook // Dreaden’s Myspace
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