BAND: Dynasty
MUSIC STYLE: Straight Up Hardcore
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles
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Q: So can you tell me a little about the history of Dynasty? I see from press materials that you’ve been together for 6 years. How did you all come together? Were any of you in other bands? Are any of you in other bands at the moment? I’m guessing here but it looks like there may be some brothers/relatives in the band?

A: Well we started practicing and writing in 2004 but actually started gigging in 2005. My brother Marcel (guitar) was in the band in the early years but was actually the one who quit the band because of the drugs and alcohol issues going down in the band. He actually said “I won’t play until everyone gets saved.” (Haha). At the time I was super pissed off that he would say that and we had no relationship at all for awhile. God straight up restored that bond between us. Years later, down the line when I actually decided to follow Jesus, it made sense to me.

Ivan & Mike are new to band. We’ve had dudes play for us from Like It or Not (Lion) and Jerez which was an awesome local band. Ivan (guitarist) was in a band called Take Vengeance which he sang for. His vocals are all over the record! Marcel also sings for another band Loud N Rowdy, which is my favorite band as of now. They’ll be playing our record release shows.

Q: The first thing that stood out to me was that musically, Dynasty sounds a lot like you should be from NYC or at least the East Coast , which to me is very cool thing as I grew up listening to a lot of those bands. So how do 5 guys from LA end up in a hardcore band sounding like you could be from NYC? How is the scene in LA and how have they responded? Not to be stereotypical, but is there some expectation that you’ll sound like downset or Suicidal (Tendencies)? I mention Suicidal as I see some similarities in some merch designs.

A: Well we pretty much were influenced by NY and NY style bands such as Madball, Leeway, & No Warning. It seemed like Cro-Mags, Outburst etc. were our favorite bands and we wanted to sound exactly like them. (Haha) The LA scene is rad but we’ve been under the radar for a while. Little by little as the record drops we’ll be active a lot more. We love Suicidal! And their merch designs are too dope. We’re ’80s kids and we love all the style that came from that time. I’ve always wanted to do a remake of the Suicidal music video “Possessed to Skate” but with a Dynasty twist to it.

Q: How did you end up on Strike First? And how do you see your fit with the rest of their band roster?

A: Well I really prayed about it and I sent a package to 1 label and sent an email to Strike First. I prayed for the will of God and here we are now. Too rad! I definitely think we stick out from the roster. Both Messengers and us are the only ones actually doing hardcore. I love how we’re set apart. I love how we can be on a label that has bands like A Plea for Purging, For Today and bands like us. It shows the diversity of the label.

Q: What do you see as the mission of Dynasty? In the endless debate, would you side with the statement of “Dynasty is a Christian band” or with “Dynasty is Christians in a band” or do you feel it’s even relevant?

A: I feel like it’s relevant but you’ll know us by our fruits. We really just want to proclaim salvation, righteousness & love!

Q: Tell me about the new CD (coming out May 24th, Truer Living with a Youthful Vengeance). Is there a lyrical theme? What are the thoughts behind the title? Was there anything special about the recording? Any special guests? How does this release compare to your older material that I’ve only seen cryptic messages about? From what I read, there was some older stuff posted, but no longer?

A: Truer Living with a Youthful Vengeance stems from the hip hop side of us. I could say it’s influenced by Gangstarr and the Wu! I wish we could’ve gotten some guest vocals on the album but we had a short time to complete it all. The next album is definitely something that everyone should look forward too. (Word is Born) Our old songs have disappeared; I wish I can get them back. Those songs are real funny.

Q: How does the songwriting process work in Dynasty? Lyrics first, music first? Anyone take the lead in the process?

A: We practice only once a week and within a few weeks before the studio I’ll write the lyrics. Some call it lazy but I work a little better under pressure. (Haha) Usually everyone gets a say in what they want in a song. And sometime that takes a while. (Haha)

Q: So, looking at the pre-order, some lucky winner will be getting some sweet – looking Nikes. How did that all come about?

A: A few of us in the band are sneaker heads. We custom made them thinking what would we wear. Hopefully some people dig em.

Q: I see mention of a tour with Call to Preserve, so how are those plans shaping up? Any dates yet or parts of the country you’ll be hitting? Will you be hitting any festivals other than Cornerstone this summer? Have any members been to Cornerstone before? Has Dynasty done any touring before?

A: Yeah Boy! The final Call To Preserve tour is gonna be ILL!! We’re pumped about it. And we do have all the tour dates up now. I wish we could get on a few more festivals but at this point everything is booked up. Maybe next year we could get on more. So all you promoters out there, holla at your boys! Oh man, not one member of this band has been to Cornerstone yet (haha). Dynasty did a mini tour a few years back with HOODS.

Q: There seem to be a lot of guest appearances lately on albums. If you could pick a band to either do a guest appearance on a cd or have someone be a guest on your cd, who would it be? Who would be your ultimate band to tour with? Would others in the band think the same way?

A: It would be a blessing to have Scot Vogel, Martin from Terror/Lion. Jasta, Jon Joseph (Cro Mags), Joey C (Righteous Jams), DFJ (Mental, Mind Eraser), Justice (Tui), Morgado (The Wrongside) Thom Green, Freddy Cricien and plenty more. I’d love to go back in the ’70s and tour with Electric Light Orchestra. I’d cry. Currently I would love to tour with Trapped Under Ice, Messengers, Loud ‘n’ Rowdy, For Today, Terror, Converge, Sleeping Giant, Madball, Obituary, Bitter End, there are too many to list LOL

Q: What is the most embarrassing music people would find on your iPod/MP3 player or in your music collection? Anyone else in the band you’d like to call out for their weird music?

A: Haha, great question! I listen to a lot of stuff like Doris Day, Connie Francis & Nancy Sinatra. Maybe most embarrassing might be Ace of Base. Haha Ruben our bassist is a freak with his music.

You can support Dynasty on their upcoming tour with Call To Preserve (which happens to be their final tour) and Dead Icons.  Tour dates below.  Also, Dynasty is having a CD release part at The Stronghold in Chino, CA on May 21st for $5.  Support your local hardcore bands (or else).

6/15 Fayetteville GA @ 11th Hour Venue ** NO DEAD ICONS
6/16 Columbia SC @ Unit One Art Space
6/17 Whitesburg KY @ Letcher County Tourism
6/18 Cookeville TN @ Westside Station
…6/19 Southhaven MS @ Cafe 549
6/20 Little Rock AR @ Downtown Music Hall
6/21 Tyler TX @ The Attic
6/22 Houston TX @ Cain’s Ashes
6/23 McAllen TX @ VFW Hall
6/24 San Antonio TX @ The White Rabbit
6/25 Fort Worth TX @ TBA
6/26 Tulsa OK @ The Reverb w/ Onward To Olympus
6/27 Springfield MO @ Salad Days w/ Onward To Olympus
6/28 Springfield IL @ Black Sheep Cafe
(Break in here for Cornerstone Festival – Bushnell IL)
7/05 Evansville IN @ The Rev ** NO DEAD ICONS
7/06 Chattanooga @ The Warehouse ** NO DEAD ICONS

There was a last minute venue change.  The show will be held at the Campbellsville Community Center located at:
1425 OLD HODGENVILLE RD
Campbellsville, KY 42718

Everything else is the same!

Check it out!  In conjunction with HXCChristian.com there is a Pre Cornerstone Boogie Down in Campbellsville, Kentucky on Sunday the 27th of June.  If you are driving to Cornerstone from anywhere on the East Coast, then we want you to stop in Campbellsville, Kentucky, at Campbellsville University to celebrate Cornerstone 2010 with some great bands.  On the bill are Restore the Roar, To Seize and Surrender, In Shepherds Arms, Debtor (Blood & Ink Records), Worker, Dead Icons, and head lining The Showdown (Solid State Records).  This show is going to be a mix of hardcore, hardcore punk, pop punk, metalcore, and good old metal, something for everyone! We hope to see you there.  If you need more information, contact Doug at his email doug @ HXCChristian.com.  Here are the details, spread the word!

What: Pre Cornerstone Boogie Down
When: Sunday, June 27th, 5:30 PM (doors open)
Where: Campbellsville University – Campbellsville, KY – Badgett Academic Support Center
Cost: $7
Info: No Drugs, No Alcohol, No Fighting, No Drama
Visit our sister site for more info on shows in Campbellsville:  www.Campbellsvilleshows.com

Repost the flyer on your myspace, facebook, on your desk, on your car, in your town….you get the point.

I would like to take two paragraphs to explain a few things, so if you are impatient skip ahead. First, I would like to take a moment to describe Cornerstone (C-Stone). C-Stone is a Christian music festival unlike any other. There are no real security guards no bouncers and a chance for nearly anyone to play music. Cornerstone is free flowing and a key to that is the generator stages. There is a regular schedule just like any other festival but anyone who pre-registers a stage can bring their own generator and let bands or themselves play.

 

Our coverage at cornerstone won’t be press coverage. We will just be sharing our C-Stone experience with those of you who are unable to attend. So enjoy hearing band names you have never heard of and tales of valor on the dusty battlefields of Illinois.

 

I have been very lax on doing any sort of reporting duties today (as minimal as they will be) but I did want to share a few things.

As with any festival half of the point is running into some bands you have never heard of before. I would like to share with you a couple that I thought were quite good and worth checking out.

 

Varcella – A good post hardcore band, they reminded me a lot of Spoken. I was quite impressed, they were very guitar driven and the front man was involved with the crowd. I plan on trying to catch up with these guys later.

 

When Forever Falls – They were a hardcore band I saw and didn’t write many notes about other than “they were not bad”

 

Before there was Rosalyn – This hardcore band made it clear who their savior was. A good sized crowd of about a hundred gathered to dance and enjoy the music, Before there was Rosalyn did not disappoint the crowd. I look forward to seeing this band later in the week when they are on one of the official stages.

 

Harp and Lyre – Decent stuff, really enjoyed their set and worth checking out.

 

Children 18:3 played to a fairly full crowd at the Anchor Stage. The band was slow to start they did not seem to get into a groove right away, but by the third song Children was rocking like I would expect them too. The crowd knew the songs being played and was singing along with the music. The oddest thing about the show was the drum solo, As with all things which are boring it seemed to drag forever. I was standing there thinking to myself “this is a punk show not a metal show… why on earth is there a drum solo?” All in all though the band was looking and sounding good. The anchor stage has excellent sound and plenty of room for them to jump around.

 

The best show of the evening by far was FBS (Fight Before Suurender). I have seen FBS several times before this show and was not expecting anything different, boy was I wrong. I have never seen them more comfortable than on the Fatcalf stage. The tent was just a bit over half full but the crowd that was there were FBS fans. The crowd was just loving how comfortable FBS looked and did not want them to stop. FBS is playing other times this week but that will definitely set the bar high for that band. That is all from Monday at C-Stone I look forward to the upcoming days and will be bringing you pictures and video. One last note never forget why we were put on this earth and that is to glorify God, so go out today and make a joyful noise unto His name!