Damone
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Damone is an American punk-pop band, formed in the late 1990s in Waltham, Massachusetts, named after a character from the 1982 motion picture Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Comprising Dave Pino, Noelle, Vazquez, and Dustin Hengst, Damone began with Pino writing songs as a solo musician in Boston, eventually meeting up with Hengst and Vasquez. A couple of years later, after meeting Noelle, the younger sister of a friend, Damone signed a deal with RCA in 2002. They released their first album, From the Attic, in spring 2003. They have toured with the Juliana Theory and The Ataris, and are featured on the soundtrack of Rugrats Go Wild!. Their song "BMX (Overlooked, Unnoticed)" was a hit on local radio stations WFNX and WAAF.
Our little story begins at the end of Damone's last major tour promoting their debut album "From The Attic". The band had seen a lot during those first two years on the road, maybe a little too much. Their history is exactly the way Bon Scott describes being in a band on those early AC/DC records; busting your ass to pay the bills, making tons of new friends while being betrayed by others, dealing with the good and bad of being on a major record label, waking up with someone you don't know in your hotel room bed while relationships crumbled at home, late nights, long drives, getting older, getting wiser and getting drunk knocking back a few too many after the show. Just like those early AC/DC songs, Damone realized not only was it all worth it, but they had a damn good time playing rock and roll for people who wanted to hear it. Those people, the fans, an ever-growing legion of devotees from around the globe, were the reason they were waking up everyday.
Damone decided not waste time getting to work on their next record. The new songs making up their forthcoming sophomore release began taking shape. The band's sound and style was changing and it was immediately noticeable, but not a total departure from their original sound. The band was coming together like they never had before.
The record label held a meeting with the band shortly after the recording process began to decide Damone's future. What the label didn't know was the band already had a couple of new songs finished for them to hear. The RCA suits sat in silence while their minds were blown away by the feast of rock being served up through the speakers. The band's songs were more hard rock than their previous effort with more mature themes culled from experiences of the previous year. Lyrics threading together timeless themes about loss, relationships, betrayal, late nights, and good times all set to the most bad-assed rock songs ever written. The tone of the new music made one thing very clear; the "carwash" is fucking closed and Damone is rock and roll full time.
Damone being rock and roll full time didn't exactly fit with RCA'S priorities. The band asked to leave RCA to focus on rocking and let the label focus on their karaoke winners from American Idol. The band found a new home at Island/ Def Jam where rocking will be the highest priority.
So now what? The band is currently putting together a new live show to kick the shit out of audiences here and overseas. The forthcoming sophomore release is still untitled but is expected to be released sometime in 2005. Damone will continue to write and rehearse until the time is right for them to take over the entire world with their fans sitting atop the throne of rock and roll with them.
External link
- Official Site (http://www.damone.net/)