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from the NWI Live Newsletter Vol I, Issue II March 2007: Salamanders To Go Back Into the Studio by Patricia Riaden The four members that make up Salamander Drake have been playing in the NWIndiana region for quite some time, and have had some limited commercial success from time to time, the height of which involved a contract with Sony records. You can find history, line up, and other information on their web page www.salamanderdrake.com. but for this...let's just discuss music. You can hear four tracks @ their MySpace page www.myspace.com/salamanderdrake. I think you will be struck by the unusual sound the the band has. They have posted the lyrics to all four songs and just by reading along you can get a feel for each tune. Both sound and lyric paint some interesting, and sometimes dark, soundscapes. While the musicianship within the band is tight there is a clear focus on moving away from the conventional with sonic/lyrical explorations. Their full length CD is available on their website or at their shows. When asked about their latest CD, "The Colour Out of Dark" Daryl expressed that he was pleased with the project but was looking forward to their next, and possibly final, endeavor which is scheduled to take place in a larger studio as early as the Spring of '07. "I am proud of what we achieved with the CD, but I don't think we were able to fully explore what the tracks had to offer because we were limited in what the recording equipment and engineer allowed us to do. We have no interest in being tied down like that again. I think you'll find it is difficult for most of the local musicians when most of us are limited with time and funds." When playing live the band does play cover material in their shows and once again things are slightly out of the norm. Daryl says, "I think it's just us being a bit off center in our musical tastes. I do think that we are lucky at times of playing four hour shows, being that we don't really cover typical standards. Ultimately we would like to play all original shows, and that is where I see the band heading." Songs that are likely to be included in their set lists: Achilles Last Stand - Led Zeppelin, Synchronicity II - The Police, I'm a Wheel -Wilco, Echoes - Pink Floyd, ME 262 - Blue Oyster Cult, Skinned - Blind Melon. Steve Blaze from NWI Live reviews The Colour Out of Dark: First of all let me just say that my hat's off to Salamander Drake for putting out such an oustanding cd You can hear the meticulous perfectionism throughout the cd. What has been self described as their "Pink Floyd's Wall" type cd is a definitely a strange journey through 1960's phsycadelica to hard pounding rock. Salamander Drake front man Daryl Grady quickly explains that they in no way are comparing themselves to Pink Floyd, however, that is the style they definitely stuck to throughout the cd. Tracks run into each other very delicately on this what I would call extended LP disc. The track "Barfly" has come through as my favorite. It has a VERY grungy feel to it with an awesome rhythm. This song must of come from all the gigs these guys play. One thing I like is the fact that there is no template for the cd. It seems each track has its own feel and journey. A goal that artists tend to not pay much attention to in the writing process. This could be simply the lack of writing skills period. I still shake my head when I think that something this well done has come from a group of guys that literally completed this in Salamander Drake bassist Allen Fraley's basement studio. The band attributes a lot to their engineer Dave Aurelio who put all the final touches on the cd. The track "Windowsills" weighs heavily on simple chord progressions with catchy follow throughs of chorus's and interludes the likes of which remind me of former The Lemonheads singer/songwriter Evan Dando type of writing style. I'm a big fan of easy, not trying to fool me types of songs. Simple is best most of the time. Simple of course doesn't mean going the extra mile with extras though. "The Colour Out Of Dark" is a COMPLETE representation of who this band is and a bold statement of what Salamander Drake is capable of. This cd will go down as one of my all-time favorites. This band is a great bunch of guys who love music and know how to rock it. Please if you have a chance get out and get this cd you will not be disappointed. Please also check out the Blazin BS Show I did with them back in January. This hour long show went very well with Salamander Drake as we talked about the cd and they did a couple of acoustic songs as well as we listened to a few tracks off of the cd. Steve Blaze 05-15-06 Salamander Drake at Northwoods December 16th by Steve Blaze from NWILive.com Grungy hard rock at its best! Salamander Drake plays a lot of old school rock and nails it. But they're no one trick pony, they throw in some well crafted originals. Lead singer Daryl Grady's voice is unbelievable. Some of the hardest cover tunes to perform is anything by The Police simply because of the vocals. Daryl has no problem with this. I believe he can hit just about any high note ever produced. Zeppelin doesn't phase him. Daryl wouldn't be anywhere without a rockin' group of guys behind him. Guitarist Robert Wray plays with a soul of Black Crowe's Guitarist Rich Robinson. Allen Fraley backbones the band with his steady bass. Also, special thanks to Glenn Miller the percussionist of Salamander Drake for letting me borrow his drum mics for the night. He was a real help and stayed around until the end. Thanks guys for rockin' us out. Be on the lookout for their new cd coming out soon. I will also be doing a review on it soon. Steve Blaze 12-21-05 To 'Pod or not to 'Pod That is the question for region music lovers who can't let go of traditional formats BY TIM SHELLBERG - Times Correspondent This story ran on nwitimes.com on Sunday, October 16, 2005 12:13 AM CDT Daryl Grady, lead singer, Salamander Drake Q: Do you own an MP3 player? A: I do not own an iPod at the moment. Q: Why not? A: I really wasn't convinced yet that if I did own one that I would use it that often. Q: Would you ever consider getting one? A: I recently came back from a vacation where I spent eight hours on the road each direction and spent some time riding around on a motorcycle. I found myself thinking about the iPod as I wished I had a wider variety of music to listen to other than what I had brought with me. Q: How important is having a tangible piece of music to you, such as a compact disc or vinyl record? A: I think the iPod, or hard drive, or CD are all the same media ... It's the artwork that would be missed -- covers and such. I do like seeing how the artist wanted things packaged. Q: Will downloads ever replace physical music? Why or why not? A: Once again, artwork is important I think, and I also think it is important that we hear an album in the order the artist wanted things laid out. Imagine hearing "The Wall" or "Tommy " in some downloaded sequence with songs missing. Would it have the same impact then? Q: What is currently getting heavy rotation? A: "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables," the Dead Kennedys; "Live @ the Fillmore," Lucinda Williams; "The Bends," Radiohead; "Mesmerize," System of a Down.
from CZARS.com:
Salamander Drake has the goods and has what it takes to make it to the top of the rock charts. The combination of Daryl Grady's vocals, and the bands crafty instrumentation that keeps expanding will bring Salamander Drake straight to the top. This band took some time to hand craft and perfect their sound. Dabbling in psychedelic rock, they are headed to another sonic far-flung level with each and every new compact disc.
SALAMANDER DRAKE "S/T ALBUM" from Frankenstoner record reviews 05/13/05
Salamander Drake is not messing around. Musically, they come across very strong, heavy guitar/drum based, and play music the way I think it should be played. Salamander Drake has paid their dues. I describe their music as southern rock with tinges of Avant-garde psychedelic rock thrown in for good measure, and just the way I like it calculated. Daryl Grady, a powerhouse of harmonious perfection, has a vocal style I would compare to Robert Plant, mixed with the lead vocalist of Queens of the Stone Age. As a result, Salamander Drake sticks out like a un blue boner, and thats a good thing. Salamander Drake has the goods and has what it takes to make it to the top of the rock charts. The combination of Daryl Gradys vocals, and the bands crafty instrumentation that keeps expanding will bring Salamander Drake straight to the top. This band took some time to hand craft and perfect their sound. Dabbling in psychedelic rock, they are headed to another sonic far-flung level with each and every new compact disc. This disc has really well thought out original lyrics. This album seems to be a concept album. Im going to take a stab into the darkness, attempting to dig deeper into the world of Salamander Drake. "Runner" is a hot track and very nice way to open up this album. Its' sweet introductory guitar and piano layers work dynamically well with Daryl Grady's vocals building the track up into its' hot rocking chorus. I think this track sort of sums up the Salamander Drake sound nicely. The lyrics also sum up the Salamander's style. This track presents a sycophantic situation and how the Drake proposes to not get trapped up in it again. It has a nice psychedelic southern rock tinge to it. "Barfly," another hot rocking track about alcoholism really cranks, and lyrically it comes across both sarcastic and mellow dramatic reminding me of Queens of The Stone Age, masters of excellent mellow dramatic eerie rock and roll. I can hear Salamander Drake looking back and laughing at alcoholism in this track, as it talks about buying the lie. Am I "really an alcoholic," and "how could this of happened to me I only drink every single night?" "Mosquito" is a hot rocking track about a sycophantic ex-lover and there is a definite Led Zeppelin influence in the breakdown changeup mid-song. The "Cicadas of los Valimos" has a Smashing Pumpkins "Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness" vibe to it. It shows a very mature side to the band both instrumentally and lyrically. To me this track talks about the closed-mindedness of certain people in society, and how they only see things in black and white versus looking at the entire picture. "Keloid" a very psychedelic track, is about coping with someone that has a terminal illness or disease pathogen. Cancer? AIDS? This disease pathogen appears terminal yet they can still run, adding to the surreal nature of it all. Perhaps they are speaking of alcoholism or drug addiction again. It has a deeper meaning and the concept that I envision is trying to escape addiction or from parents that are users. This album offers a psychedelic escape from sycophants whom are users, addicts, alcoholics, and the only way to escape is to play the unique brand of Salamander Drake sound. Due to the psychedelic nature of the lyrics and guitar effects, I can see Salamander Drake fitting in well in the Austin, Texas rock and roll scene. I can totally see Salamander Drake on Austin City Limits! Salamander Drake is influenced by "Songs for the Deaf," "Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness," and everything Led Zeppelin. They have a heavy southern rock and roll tinge in their music, also. This album does seem to be a concept album to me, something else thats really unique about the band, because their lyrics are so deep and dark. My guess to the concept of this Drake album is escaping past addiction, and coping with lifes struggles, closed minded people, sycophants, mosquitos, death, etc. Fill your problem in this blank here_____________, and first bring it out in the open. Then listen to the sweet sounds of the Salamander Drake Therapy Inc. today, and watch your problem drift away. And the Drake does not appear to be bitter about anything either. They turned any past negative energy into some great songs with positive vibes, something that they will pass on to you. With characters such as Marvina Dame, Marshall Lawson, and Salamander Drake there is something conceptual here, with characters that match each situation life throws in their path. To top it off, the front cover of the album has an old time figure that reminds me of something out of Clockwork Orange. Lookout for Salamander Drake because if you appreciate good old hand craftsmanship, dark gothic conceptual psychedelic lyrics, more southern rock and roll power, then this gargle of musicians will hypnotize you into a psychedelic trance, and rock your condoms off! - Frankenstoner
"Got it covered" BY TIM SHELLBERG 05/01/05
The distance between Chicago's north side, a longtime hotbed for up-and-coming area rockers, and the Illinois-Indiana border is less than 30 miles. Yet the musical distance between the two, to some, is much, much larger. "If you really want to make your mark as a musician, you go to Chicago where the folks there want to hear original music and bands get shouted at there if they play a lot of covers," said area concert booker and band manager Mike Kucic. "But here in Northwest Indiana, most bands that try to play too many originals, people are shouting at them to play cover tunes."
While many area clubs and bars are packed to the walls in the region with cover bands of a myriad of styles, and a handful of coffee shops and acoustic venues are filled to capacity with both plugged and unplugged acts locally and nationally, the region, to many, has had little, if any luck with bands performing their own songs in area clubs. And for many original music participants, both onstage and behind the scenes, the battle to bring new music to area fans is a continuing one.
Yet Daryl Grady remembers a time when region music fans opened their arms to bands with their own sound. In the mid-'90s, Grady, who lives in Crown Point, fronted Desdinova, a favorite among alt-rock music fans in the area that went on to record an album in 1996 for major leaguers Columbia Records.
Although the band's lifespan was short-lived following the album's release, Grady credits the period in Northwest Indiana's music scene between 1991 and 1995 when original music was embraced rather than cast to the side as one of the factors in his former band's rise to the majors.
"Bands who were writing their own music were more accepted in the bars back then," he said. "I would say we were even cultivating a Chicago, a more college level of (scene) here, with people more interested in what you were writing."
For the last year and a half, Grady has fronted Salamander Drake, which alternates between cover songs by the varied likes of Led Zeppelin, the Police and Queens of the Stone Age, and their self-penned songs. Grady credits the band's covers for getting their foot in Northwest Indiana venues' doors, but is looking forward to the time where original songs, not covers, dominate his and other area acts' multihour headlining sets.
And in his eyes, the region's music forecast is starting to look sunny for original acts in the region. Salamander Drake already has recorded an EP, and is in the process of recording their first full-length set, which they hope to release at summer's end.
"Bands that were prominently cover bands are starting to put CDs out of their own music," he said. "I think as long as we keep chipping away at it and implementing our set lists with our own music, it'll eventually win people over. These things are kind of cyclical, with original bands disbanding and the bands coming up being cover bands. And it takes a while before the whole want for original music comes back."
Salamander Drake is one of a handful of area bands promoted by Kucic, who resides in Crown Point. Kucic formed Broken Levee Entertainment, which includes fellow regional rising rockers such as the Planetary Blues Band, River's Burden, as well as the Ozzy Osbourne tribute band, Believer, on his booking and/or managerial roster.
In his efforts to bring the original music acts under his care to the regions, Kucic has had many a club owner shut their doors in his face. "I'll always ask (area club owners and concert bookers) 'are your regular customers original music?' and I've been laughed at," he said.
"They'll say 'nobody wants to hear some band from here playing their own stuff. We do cover songs only.' They want to give their customers what they're expecting." "I'm not saying everybody thinks like this, but in Northwest Indiana, we like to think of ourselves as being as sophisticated as the big city of Chicago," he added. "But for something like this, we're kind of backwards in a sense."
The Windy City, however, has embraced a small handful of bands on this side of the border as of late. About a month ago, Kucic said, the Steepwater Band, which received raves in Chicago's premier free music 'zine, Illinois Entertainer, and the Highway Band, held court at Chicago's Double Door to a near-capacity crowd.
"I think there was a little bit of trepidation on the talent buyer's part there, (like) 'Oh my god. We've got two bands from Indiana coming up to Chicago," Kucic said. "By the end of the night, he had told the Highway Band's manager 'Hey. Anytime you guys want to come back, that's not a problem at all. I was blown away by the music, and you drew a lot of people.'" The region does have its fair share of successful, albeit alcohol-free, venues. For more than a dozen years now, Valparaiso's Front Porch Music has brought national acoustic talent to their stage, often selling out the venue. Crown Point's Pop Culture Coffeehouse also is successful in bringing young and rising talent front and center.
But there are a select few area clubs and pubs where booze flows and rising regional original rockers are welcomed with open arms. Since acquiring the tavern in Crown Point at 419 N. Grant St., last February, Kelly Ryan, owner of Kelly O' Lou's, has given stage space to both cover and original music acts. While the cover acts, especially the Led Zeppelin tribute outfit Kashmir, tend to draw the larger crowds, the area's original acts, she says, aren't too far behind. "I have a lot of smaller bands that have a great following that write their own music, and they do wonderful for me," she said. "They get their friends involved. They get their families involved."
Another way for aspiring area rockers to win over an audience of cover-friendly listeners may require some shrewdness on the musician's part. Scotland's Dogs Die in Hot Cars, who found themselves atop the U.K. charts in 2003 with their hit "I Love You Because I Have To," started their life span as a cover band, playing everything from Thin Lizzy to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Yet they found a sneaky way for some of their self-penned songs to be heard by the concert-going masses.
"In the contract (with the clubs), it said that we had to play covers, but what we would do is slip in our originals and pretend that they were by some obscure band that no one has ever heard of," said Dogs Die bassist Lee Worrall. "Or we'd say that (the original) was a Bob Marley b-side or a Frank Zappa b-side so we could get our own ones in there." Yet Kucic would prefer that area music fans check out self-penned bands on their home turf without being duped into such trickery. "I hope that people in Northwest Indiana can learn to give a chance to original acts," he said. "When you create original music, it's really a great, original art form -- we've got several bands that, if they get the right break, they can be quite big."
from NWI.Live 04/16/05 Salamander Drake gives you all you ask for. To say that lead singer Daryl Grady has a
"Salamander Drake adapts" by Tom Lounges Times Correspondent Saturday, October 23rd 2004
The focus has changed somewhat in the year and a half that Salamander Drake began their career in the local clubs, determined to be simply a cover band doing songs that they grew up on and loved.
At most shows, they still do that in spades-kicking out their own treatment of classic tunes by such legendary artists as Led Zeppelin, The Police, Blue Oyster Cult and others-but tonight's concert set will focus on the band's original songs.
"I know I told you in an iterview last year that we were not planning on doing any original stuff with this band," laughed vocalist-frontman Daryl Grady, "but lately there has been no holding (our guitarist) Bob Wray back. He has a constant need to create."
Wray is a huge science fiction and horror fan with a degree in filmmaking from Columbia College in Chicago.
"All his films in college were horror themed," said Grady, explaining the conceptual series of songs Wray is composing. The storyline includes the powers of alchemy along with a resurection theme.
The very name Salamander Drake has a sci-fi history. It was culled from the lyrics of "Workshop of the Telescopes" by the sci-fi heavy metal band, Blue Oyster Cult.
Half of tonight's set with consist of songs from Wray's ongoing conceptual project to which Grady contributes half of the lyrical content.
"We're very excited to be on this original music showcase with these two great local bands and have the opportunity to play some of our own music for people", he said.
Wray and Grady came to regional prominence during the mid-1990's with Desdinova. They had a development deal with the Sony-distributed Unencumbered Records, but splintered after eight years together.
After playing for a couple of years as an acoustic duo Wray and Grady landed a gig at a summer festival in 2003.
"We were both tired of the acoustic thing. We didn't want go onstage at a festival as "Bob and Daryl" and strum guitars," Grady recalled.
Bassist Al Fraley, who had been with Desdinova during the group's last five years, was called in to do the show and brought along his cousin Glenn Miller, who plays drums so much like Stewart Copeland of The Police that Grady has Miller coded into his cell as "Stewart".
"Glenn is what made us want to make this a full time band," the singer said. "From the first time we practiced together for that festival date, we knew this line-up would stay together."
The band recorded a six-song cd in their practice studio as a precursor, to the full length CD that is expected to come out next year.
"I'm hoping we will get into a real studio and start recording around January,"Grady said.
Along with their many classic rock numbers and their originals, Salamander Drake usually slips in some latter-day radio fare in their set to keep collage-age nightclubers content.
Because tonight is an original showcase, expect few covers as The Salamanders slither through their hard originals.
from Frankenstoner Records 11/03/04
"They are awsome live. Check them out. Lead singer daryl Grady nails Robert Plant vocals, and the last time I checked, that's not something that comes along too often in a vocalist. Led Zeppelin exists again in full rocking potential. Their original music is experimental rock, which is very psychedelic, trip, and ambient-like."
Saturday Spotlight: Local Band Having Fun Second Time Around by Tom Lounges Times Correspondent September 20th, 2003
What happens when a band that has struggled for years almost reaches the top, then --just as things are looking their brightest -- the bottom falls out?
Such was the case of Desdinova in the mid to late 90's. The Merrillville alt-rock band with a strong affinity to Pearl Jam had emerged at the peak of the grunge/alternative era and landed a development deal with Columbia Records.
They had released a CD for a Sony umbrella label and a buzz began that had other labels trying to woo them. Though it seemed that the world was their oyster...the group found no "pearl", only a messy "jam".
Internal tension after spending eight years together in a small rehearsal space got the best of them and the band imploded. "Looking back with clearer heads, I realize that it was a stupid thing to do [disband]. We should of just dealt with things better and soldiered on," said former Desdinova vocalist/lyricist, Daryl Grady.
"Things happen for a reason though," said Grady, who spent the last for years performing as and acoustic duo with ex-Desdinova guitarist Bob Wray." After Desdinova, Bob went to college and got a degree in filmmaking. He's doing pretty well with it. Though it would put an end to this new little band, we're all hoping that he gets to the West Coast to really pursue a film career."
The "new little band" Grady referred to is Salamander Drake, appearing tonight at Soprano's Lounge in Griffith.
"We were getting tired of the acoustic duo set-up after having done it for four years, so we asked Al Fraley (who had joined Desdinova a few years before the group's break-up) to start sitting in with us on acoustic bass," recalled Grady.
When a festival gig came up this past July, they decided to go fully electric and recruited Fraley's cousin, Glenn Miller, to sit in on drums.
"That was so much fun, that we had our next acoustic gig as a full band too," said Grady noting that Miller is a lively player akin to Stewart Copland of The Police. "Glenn is what made us want to make this a full time band."
The original plan was to play a mixed bag of obscure cover songs from the classic rock and modern rock genres, but the quartet has already started writing originals.
None of the three original songs are being played out as of yet. The set prepared for tonight includes Pearl Jam's "Given to Fly" and "Brain of JFK", Queens of the Stone Age's "No One Knows" and "Grant Heart" by The Posies.
Songs by various vintage artists balance out every Salamander Drake show --Neil Young, The Police, Blue Oyster Cult and Led Zeppelin, among them.
"We're doing 'Achilles' Last Stand' by Zeppelin at Soprano's, which is a pretty long and complex song," Grady said. "Not too many bands tackle that one and I think we do a pretty good job with it."
SALAMANDERS TO SLITHER AT SOPRANOS LOCAL MUSIC NEWS COLUMN by Tom Lounges Midwest Beat - September 20th, 2003
Valparaisos Daryl Grady was considered one of the regions best alternative vocalists back in the 1990s, while fronting the original band, Desdinova. When they disbanded four years ago, Grady disappeared from scene.
The singer surprised this columnist with a recent email announcing his return,as the lead singer of a new all cover band called, Salamander Drake. Rounding out the new band are guitarist Bob Wray, bassist Al Fraley and drummer Glenn Miller.
"This band is just about playing songs we always wanted to cover but were too busy doing our own songs to do," explained Grady. Among the songs in their repertoire are -- Pearl Jams "The Brain of JFK," The Posies "Grant Heart," and "No One Knows" by Queens Of The Stone Age.
Midwest BEAT will have Salamander Drake open the show at our"Modern Rock Showcase Night" at Sopranos in Griffith on September 20th. Also on the triple band bill will be local recording artists Emitter and Closed World. Come and support these fresh local groups!
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