2008 Woodie Awards
Damone
Indie Band Invasion
Jess McCauley '07
Issue date: 10/19/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Live fast, die young. From Bon Scott to Keith Moon, Jimi Hendrix to Sid Vicious, most musicians live out this rock 'n' roll ideology by destroying themselves with copious amounts of drugs and alcohol. Damone has followed in their footsteps intentionally by perpetuating hard rock anthems but it has also involuntarily come close to emulating rock 'n' roll deaths.
After running for a few minutes on a treadmill at the gym, trying to blow off steam during the recording process for their second album, Out Here All Night, Damone bassist Vazquez felt a strange sensation in his head and passed out from what would later be identified as a brain hemorrhage. Lucky for Vazquez and the rest of the band, the rock gods didn't claim another victim, and he recovered well enough from a two-day coma to contribute to the creative process for the second album.
Damone, hailing from Boston, was not completely in the clear, however, as further financial problems and internal strife led its guitarist to quit and its label to leave them in the dark, all while the band itself was struggling to avoid being pegged as another Avril Lavigne rip-off. Thankfully, lead singer and guitarist Noelle did not have a penchant for wearing skinny ties and wifebeaters, so Damone already had a leg up on the competition. Besides, I question Avril's ability to recognize that Damone is named after the piano-key-scarf-wearing ticket scalper from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. That fact alone should be enough to intrigue any person with a soul, or at least some knowledge of pop culture from the last 25 years.
With lyrics by Noelle and Vazquez, backed up by the musical arrangements of lead guitarist Mike Woods and drummer Dustin Hengst, Damone set out to re-conquer the world the way old school hard rock bands did during the late '70s and '80s. Citing influences from legendary bands like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC to more humorous antecedents like Motley Crüe and Ratt, Damone has successfully fused razor sharp metal riffs with pop-song structure to create hard rock revival that is as accessible-and entertaining-as your parents' unlocked liquor cabinet. Employing the clear timbre of Noelle's vocals without declining into pitiful wallowing, Damone instead looks to bring back the spirit of good old rock 'n' roll, minus the part about burning out before fading away. Coupling an energetic, ear-searing live performance with straightforward rock anthems, Damone brings the audience back to the Golden Age of rock with no need for a time machine.
Source: www.myspace.com/damone
After running for a few minutes on a treadmill at the gym, trying to blow off steam during the recording process for their second album, Out Here All Night, Damone bassist Vazquez felt a strange sensation in his head and passed out from what would later be identified as a brain hemorrhage. Lucky for Vazquez and the rest of the band, the rock gods didn't claim another victim, and he recovered well enough from a two-day coma to contribute to the creative process for the second album.
Damone, hailing from Boston, was not completely in the clear, however, as further financial problems and internal strife led its guitarist to quit and its label to leave them in the dark, all while the band itself was struggling to avoid being pegged as another Avril Lavigne rip-off. Thankfully, lead singer and guitarist Noelle did not have a penchant for wearing skinny ties and wifebeaters, so Damone already had a leg up on the competition. Besides, I question Avril's ability to recognize that Damone is named after the piano-key-scarf-wearing ticket scalper from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. That fact alone should be enough to intrigue any person with a soul, or at least some knowledge of pop culture from the last 25 years.
With lyrics by Noelle and Vazquez, backed up by the musical arrangements of lead guitarist Mike Woods and drummer Dustin Hengst, Damone set out to re-conquer the world the way old school hard rock bands did during the late '70s and '80s. Citing influences from legendary bands like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC to more humorous antecedents like Motley Crüe and Ratt, Damone has successfully fused razor sharp metal riffs with pop-song structure to create hard rock revival that is as accessible-and entertaining-as your parents' unlocked liquor cabinet. Employing the clear timbre of Noelle's vocals without declining into pitiful wallowing, Damone instead looks to bring back the spirit of good old rock 'n' roll, minus the part about burning out before fading away. Coupling an energetic, ear-searing live performance with straightforward rock anthems, Damone brings the audience back to the Golden Age of rock with no need for a time machine.
Source: www.myspace.com/damone