Women's Media Nation | Social, political, and cultural issues relating to women

Band on the Rise: ChickSpeak Hearts Dreaden

posted by ChickSpeak
Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 12:28pm CST

The city of Atlanta, G.A. is an example of the classic melting pot of different cultures, musical sounds, and visual arts that make southern metropolitans of today the best places to find new artists of all varieties. The music scene in Atlanta is more diversified and impressive than ever, still most prominently known for the unique hip-hop styles it yields, from artists such as Project Pat and others.

But another sound wave quickly traveling across the nation out of the culture-rimmed town of Little Five Points comes from up-and-coming band Dreaden’s electric-driven beats.

In describing their sound, the power of the city’s scents, sights, and history are a key in grasping their edgy, one of a kind vibe. When asked how living in this influential area has shaped their music, Kyle Dreaden, lead singer and keyboardist of the band explained, “[We’re] halfway between the grit of NYC and the flash of LA, but with that un-definable southern shuffle that seems to make the women sweeter, and the drums louder.”

Danny Kaufmann, who plays guitar for Dreaden, notes the city’s diversity of sound as a major factor in how their personal style was shaped.

“I feel we get to play with more kinds of music. Atlanta is so diverse and rich with music, with the biggest hip-hop names in the industry to even the biggest metal acts,” Kaufmann said.

One of their better known songs, ‘Dirty Little Girl’ has 3,199 plays on their MySpace profile, but their newest single, ‘Night Friends’, boasts a new sound with clear influences from The Cure, the synthesized keys of the 80s, and Nine Inch Nails’ hard beat mixed with technical rhythm guitar, highlighting a lyrically advanced anthem to the things we may do under cover of darkness to cope with what happens in the day time. Their representation of the activities and thoughts of every 20-30 something living in this converged and confusing society is dead-on, and a rumored first music video featuring the song is expected to drop soon.

“I believe our bad habits and reckless, knee jerk reactions to our unique existences are critical to our growth as young, modern people,” K. Dreaden said. “All our love goes out to the night friends! For better or worse, we wouldn’t be where we are without them.”

The group consists of Kyle Dreaden (Voice and Keys), Sean Young (Guitar/Keys), Danny Kaufmann(Guitar), Matt McDaniel(Bass), and Zak Schroerlucke(Drums).

Their past experiences in other musical projects as well as playing music their whole lives has given them an understanding of how to be noticed in such a large area, showing an acute knowledge of what’s valued and appreciated in music and showmanship.

“It’s not as much about being showy as it is about playing clever,” Kaufmann, who played in metal and pop-rock driven bands before Dreaden, said.

Besides having an un-ignorable sound, Dreaden has an undeniable, unique swagger that certainly stems from their southern roots, one not seen in many bands of their genre. They clearly take an inspiration from rock icons in their style and presentation, as well as their technicality.

“It wasn’t until I heard Van Halen’s “Eruption” that made me want to play guitar and be a rock-n-roll star,” Kaufmann, whose first experiences with music includes hanging around the radio station his mother worked at, said.

“Mick Jagger talk me how to walk,” said K. Dreaden, whose mother passed away when he was a child, leaving him with memories of sitting beside her while she played the piano, said.

K. Dreaden’s deeply personal connection to the black-and-white keys is clear in the haunting, melodic tunes he taps out in the band’s music, with life experiences, good and bad, whispering beneath the coalescing notes. He recalls sitting down in front of the piano at 9-years-old, about a year after his mother’s death, and working out a melody that had been stuck in his head all day. After that, he never stopped playing.

Dreaden’s music roots from the crooked, criss-crossing family tree that spreads out to create the Atlanta music scene, a web of hip-hop, rock, rap, metal, and blues. However you classify their unique sound, one thing is for certain. Dreaden is a band to keep an eye out for. To download their ‘Night Friends’ single, click here under featured artists, and keep an eye out for more songs being released soon. You can also visit their MySpace page.

Cady Childs is a journalism student at Appalachian State University who also spends much of her time in the theatre and photography departments on campus. Inspiration for her writing comes from the likes of Andre Leon Talley, e.e. Cummings, and Hunter S. Thompson. She hopes to become an established journalist as well as novelist and playwright later in life. A lover of The Cure as well as The Smiths, she can’t help but enjoy Dreaden’s crisp sound.