Who? Buffalo, NY’s Damiera formed when frontman Dave Raymond’s former band, League, imploded in late 2004. Taking with him fellow Leaguer Matthew Kipp, Raymond called up drummer Brad McRae and Damiera began to take shape. After finally acquiring bassist Mark Henry — who ended a seven-year stint as singer for Queen City Lights to join the band — they lost Kipp and guitarist Rock Whittington hopped on board after coming across a “Guitarist Wanted” ad on PureVolume. The quartet will release their first full-length album, M(US)IC, Jan. 23 on Equal Vision Records.
What’s the Deal? M(US)IC is a taut, ten-track first go, thanks in part to producer Jason DeZuzio (Coheed and Cambria, My Chemical Romance) and the band’s own punchy, prog-finds-pop sounds. It doesn’t hurt that vocalist Raymond pays more than homage to At the Drive In/Mars Volta singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala — and yet somehow manages not to tread on his predecessor’s toes too much.
Fun Fact: Damiera completed M(US)IC while on now-defunct label Tamerlane. To jump start promotion, the band self-printed and sold the first one thousand copies at shows Raymond had booked in over 200 venues over the course of 2006. It was this gutsy bit of DIY marketing that brought Damiera to the attention of current label Equal Vision. KAITLIN FONTANA
Now Hear This:
Damiera – “Via Invested” DOWNLOAD MP3
Talk: Is Damiera prog-rock ecstasy or just At the Drive In with less hair? COMMENT
On the Web:
damiera.com
