Successful bands forge their defining
moments from a rare mix of electric audience response, killer
songs, and memorable stage performance. While the result is
enough to keep any band on stage all night, the ability to
sustain that dynamic beyond its gig of origin is what sets an
average band apart from an outstanding
one.
DFiVE9 had its defining moment on a
special night opening for a major metal act in Chico,
California, in 2001. Taking the darkened stage in unfamiliar
territory, the band captured a crowd anxious to move on to the
headliner. As the last note died away above the heads of the
cheering crowd, each member looked at one another through
their sweat and exhaustion, and knew that the dominion they
held over their new-found fans was the beginning of something
special. The band has been hard at work recreating that
defining moment ever since.
The
story of DFiVE9 begins with Montana natives Michael Krum
(guitar) and Will Casey (drums) relocating to Portland, Oregon
in 1993, where they led a former band through countless
weeknight club gigs and eventually clawed their way onto
weekend bills while winning over rockers throughout the Rose
City. Before the band had time to relish the view from it's
ledge near the top of Portland's hard rock heap, however,
personal and family issues prevented their bass player and
vocalist from making the total commitment to artistic success
that the band's potential demanded.
Undaunted, Krum and
Casey recruited a number of potential replacements from other
Portland acts, eventually tabbing vocalist Nic Yannariello and
bassist Michael 'YMike' Yatabe in June of 2000. Gifted and
dedicated artists in their own right, both new members of what
would become DFiVE9 welcomed the opportunity to join a band
for whom anything less than national exposure was
unacceptable.
Gathering in a storage
unit on the city's west side, the four began working on new
material and adding a darker, heavier feel to the old band's
song list. They took a new name that represented the address
code of their rehearsal space and hinted at the prevalence of
digital language in the modern world, as well as the role of
righteous iniquity in the ancient world:
DFiVE9.
The band returned to the
Portland club scene, exhibiting its new, muscular sound to
capture new fans while pummeling old ones. But re-igniting
success required more than learning existing songs and writing
and performing new ones, however. As an essentially new band,
DFiVE9 pushed harder than ever, playing a string of regional
shows to debut their new name and new sound. Their effort was
rewarded with enthusiastic fan response throughout the West
Coast.
Having established themselves
regionally, the band entered the studio to lay-down its new
sound in the fall of 2000. The result: 'Subjugate,' a
nine-song bolt of sophisticated and kinetic alternative metal
that paid homage to the band's musical origins while employing
lyrics and rhythms that firmly placed the band along a more
modern path.
Response was immediate
and enthusiastic. Kids and concert goers snapped up the new CD
and merchandise, and the band was scouted by major label A/R
reps. A phone call from one particular label executive offered
the band a glimpse at the brass ring - unfortunately,
follow-up discussions with the label failed to meet the band's
standards for long-term success. DFiVE9 returned to the studio
to begin work on their second album. The band's goal was
simple: channel their sound in a new, heavier direction that
would constitute the truest representation of the band
members' individual skills and diverse influences, while
incorporating the considerable energy from their live
performances.
DFiVE9 began
pre-production in the fall of 2001, eventually taking up
residence at several studios throughout Portland and
completing 'Measured and Wasted' in August of 2002.
Representing the band's finest work to date, the CD's seven
tracks drive, drop, and flat-out destroy while offering
poignant moments of anger, introspection, and inspiration. The
disc's lead track 'Bukkake' is an aggressive and pounding
anthem that screams volumes about modern society's lack of
acceptance for divergent opinions and deviant forms of
expression. Yannariello's bouts with night terrors and their
constant reminder of traumatic past events inspired
'Aneurysm.' 'Inside' focuses on the challenges and
frustrations in trying to build a life with a woman who has
experienced abuse in prior relationships, while 'D and D,'
which closes out the disc, deals poignantly and powerfully
with a relative's never-ending battle with drug abuse.
Since their inception, DFiVE9's
music has fueled an ongoing groundswell of interest at the
grass-roots level and beyond. The band is sponsored by
Jagermeister and PMC Guitars. The quest to bring more fans of
heavy music under their sway continues with the licensing of
all seven tracks off the new album through Rumblefish Music,
Inc.
Check out DFiVE9's lush punishment in your area
before it's too late. . . . .
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Interests:
Snowboarding, Movies, Dogs, Stockmarket Speculation
Musical Influences:
Led Zepplin, Van Halen, Rage Against the Machine, (hed)PE, Paul Simon, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains
Interests:
Guitars, Computers, Guns
Musical Influences:
Tool, Led Zeppelin, Jane's Addiction, I Mother Earth
Interests:
Music, action figures, peaches
Musical Influences:
All Old School 80's Thrash
Shadows Fall, Whitesnake
Interests:
Music, computers, flying, politics, basset hounds
Musical Influences:
Danny Carey (Tool), Brad Wilk (RATM), Steward Copeland (The Police, etc), Trent Reznor (NIN), The Prodigy, Joey Jordison (Slipknot), Kevin Rankin (Jennifer Batten), BC (hedPE), Paul Hopkins (Skinlab)
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