SHDCVLT interviews DSGNS
(Greetings. This is Brian No Funeral, ATX music journalist and the latest addition to the Super Happy Death Cvlt. This interview was conducted back in January and was intended for another publication. Stuff happens, I'm over here, and I brought this with me. The only thing to consider when reading this interview is that a couple of the big events DSGNS hints at during the interview have already happened. The band opened for the DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN in May and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME in June. Both shows were at The Mohawk in Austin. I mention this because DSGNS is a band on the rise, so you should get into this band now, you know, before your friends do.)
(DSGNS, live at The Mohawk)
DSGNS is:
Keith Hernandez (drums)
Jeremy Hrabal (bass)
Jake Raines (vocals)
Ian Sabo (guitar)
Stephen Sanchez (guitar)
The
middle of January brought an end to Austin’s grim, harsh, frost-bitten, three-week-long
winter so the benches out front of The Music Lab on St. Elmo Rd. served as an appropriate yet casual
location for the interview with Austin's own noisecore specialist DSGNS. This particular evening was a cause for
celebration, for the band had just successfully finished its first practice
with new guitarist IAN SABO.
“Recently,
we took a break to write our first full-length record. This is the first break
we as a band have had in three years. I don’t think we went longer than 30 days between
shows during that run”, drummer KEITH HERNANDEZ explained of the time DSGNS has spent hunkered down in the Music Lab.
DSGNS
is poised to have a big year in 2014.
After three years of gigging around the state and self-releasing three
EPs (WSTLND, LXCN, and the split CD with UGLY TWIN), the band has refocused its
energies on crafting an even more mind-twisting blend of technical metalcore
and noise-rock than before. Not bad for a Do-It-Yourself band from Austin.
Guitarist
STEPHEN SANCHEZ said, “Everything we do is DIY. Keith (Hernandez) is an engineer by trade. He
records and produces all of our music alone. Jeremy (Hrabal) designs most of our merch
and flyers and he also builds our stage equipment. I manage the band’s affairs
and we all contribute ideas and music.”
(From left to right: Hrabel, Raines, Hernandez, and Sanchez)
Formed
in 2010, DSGNS has forged its own identity in the Austin metal/hardcore
community by writing thoughtful and original music, playing passionate live
shows, and ignoring the prevailing trends of the day in order to articulate its
own unique band-voice. That voice would be a mixture of DEADGUY, RORSCHACH, THE
DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, and perennial band favorite BOTCH.
Said
Sanchez of the band’s origin, “I was in a different band with Jeremy.
I was asked do a JUDGE cover band for a Halloween show with mutual friends of
Keith and mine. While practicing for our show as Judge, we were jamming Botch
and Death songs and it clicked. After about a year of constant jamming, we were
officially DSGNS in 2011.”
(Drummer Keith Hernandez and guitarist Stephen Sanchez)
“I
joined the band via Craiglist. After meeting them, practicing with them, and
discovering that they’re all Botch fans, I knew this would work”, added
vocalist JAKE RAINES.
Guitarist IAN SABO
echoed the sentiment, “We all like ‘out there’ heavy music. Stephen and Keith
came to hardcore from the metal world and that’s our common bond. We listen to
weird metal like CYNIC, UNSANE, and lots of DEATH.”
A
certain manner of kismet surrounds DSGNS that extends beyond similar taste in
music. The state of Virginia figures into the band's equation. Hernandez
and Sabo knew of each other through playing in bands back East but they never
met or hung out until moving to Austin. Raines was born in Virginia but grew up
in Austin.
(Vocalist Jake Raines and bassist Jeremy Hrabal)
While
the members of DSGNS may have grown up elsewhere, the band was absolutely born in (and of) the Capital City. In addition to
regularly playing out in its hometown, DSGNS is beginning to warrant attention
throughout the state of Texas.
“We’ve
played about a half-dozen shows each in Dallas, Houston, Corpus Christi, and
San Antonio. We had our best crowd response in Houston and in Bryan/College
Station”, said Sanchez. “Touring plans are in the works for after our new album
is released.”
(LXCN EP by DSGNS)
That
question of releasing records in the current economic climate is on the mind of
every artist and DSGNS is no different. When asked if there were any plans to
release the previous DSGNS EPs on vinyl, Sanchez said, “All of our current records would
look great and sound great as 7” records but the financial issues prevents it
for the moment. We all work and we fund this ourselves. It will come with
time.”
“It
would be great if we could team up with a record label to do more ambitious
things with our records but we as a band are unwilling to sign our lives away
to make it happen. We would rather have people listen to our music than worry
about making money all the time”, said Raines.
(Sanchez and Hernandez will see your brutal and raise you)
Speaking
of the future goals of DSGNS, Hernandez added, “Ideally, we’d like to do this
full-time. We’d like to tour full-time and have our records available
everywhere but we’re at a point where we can exist and continue right now.
Besides, the recorded music is a way for us to attract attention to our live
shows.”
“We
pay money to play music. We’d like to eventually earn some money playing
music”, said bassist JEREMY HRABAL.
(Guitarist Ian Sabo)
In
the meantime, DSGNS can always lean on that killer live show. It’s the band’s
secret weapon. Sanchez insists that the band give the same electrifying
performance each show, whether it’s for five people or 500.
“We’ve
played all different kind of shows and clubs around the city”, said Raines.
“When they call Austin a music city, it’s true in that there’s live music every
night of the week. Now, is Austin the capital of good live music? No.”
(Guitarist Ian Sabo, bassist Jeremy Hrabal, and guitarist Stephen Sanchez)
Yes,
Austin has more band than ever clogging the Entertainment District but DSGNS
has done a terrific job of standing out from the crowd. The most readily
apparent way this is achieved is through the band’s curious spelling of its
name.
“I
chose the name DSGNS so that it wouldn’t give away our sound or pigeonhole us.
We didn’t want a name like Brutal DeathFace or anything that could be
interpreted as typical”, said Sanchez.
Hernandez
also said, “When DSGNS is spelled without the vowels, it just looks cool. We
did the ‘no vowels’ thing on our first two EPs but it won’t be on the
full-length. We’re going to keep the DSGNS name the same but we, as a band, are
no longer at war with vowels.”
(Raines, Hrabal, and Hernandez bring in the noise; not that much funk)
With
a new record on the horizon, DSGNS will spend the rest of the year fulfilling
its mission. That mission is the realistic, achievable goal of being an
original band awash in an ocean of pretenders. Sabo offers the sensible advice
of listening to Deadguy and Rorschach but Raines offers a different challenge
to Austin musicians.
“Just
be yourself and stop copying everyone you see”, said Raines. “On second
thought, don’t. Keep doing what you’re doing and let us stand out more.”
(the DSGNS/UglyTwin split EP)
*Photos provided by DSGNS. All images are owned by their respective copyright owners.
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