Bodragaz

Artist Information

Biography

Uncompromising, adrenaline-fueled, melodic hard rock. It’s what you want, isn’t it?

It’s no mistake that BODRAGAZ has been playing the big stage alongside major recording artists for over five years. From arenas to national festivals, we have the music, the talent, and the experience to rock your venue.

• August, 2011: Rock Jam Music Festival, Grand Junction, Colorado. Headliners included Godsmack, Skillet, Meat Loaf, Twisted Sister, Saliva, Fuel, Sebastian Bach and Great White.

• July, 2009: Rocklahoma Music Festival, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Headliners included Anthrax, Stryper, Warrant, Ratt, Jackyl and Night Ranger.

• June, 2006: Steamboat Days Festival, Burlington, Iowa. Headliners included Styx, Poison and Bo Bice.

• February, 2006: Direct supporting act for Bon Jovi at the Pepsi Center arena in Denver, Colorado.

• Other live performances have included shows with Slaughter, Y&T, Spock’s Beard, KT Tunstall, and Enuff Z’Nuff.

With six full-length albums, songs featured on two international compilation discs, and their very own PANDORA Internet Radio music station, BODRAGAZ music speaks volumes.

• Digital music provider Rhapsody.com selected Awaken (2008) as one of the Top 32 “Most Significant New Releases” in the Metal genre on June 9th, 2008. Additionally, the band charted as high as #55 on Rhapsody’s “Top 100 Artists in Progressive Metal” music charts, and remained in the Top 100 for several months.

• "Lost", from the album Awaken (2008), was featured on the compilation disc Auditory Assault 2, released by Bare Metal Records in May 2011.

• “The Energy”, from the album Solid Sound (2002), was featured on the compilation disc MRCD2: The Beast Inside, released by Melodic Rock Records in September, 2004.

• The PANDORA Radio Network selected Awaken (2008) for broadcast in July, 2010. Tune in now at http://www.pandora.com/music/artist/bodragaz.

Instrumentation

Michael Layer - Lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
Jim Wescott - Bass guitar, backing vocals
Charles J. Dickey - Lead guitar, keyboards
Mike Taft - Drums

Discography

Bodragaz (1996)
Somewhere In Switzerland (1997)
Epoch (1999)
Solid Sound (2002)
MRCD2: The Beast Inside (2004)*
Clear (2005)
Awaken (2008)
Auditory Assault 2 (2011)**

*Compilation disc, featuring “The Energy” from Solid Sound
**Compilation disc, featuring “Lost” from Awaken

Links

• Facebook
• Last.fm
• MySpace

Audio

• Shine
  Listen  
• Lost
  Listen  
• Strange Fascination
  Listen  
• We Are America
  Listen  
• Awaken
  Listen  
• I Remember It All
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Lost
• Strange Fascination
• We Are America
• Shine
• Beautiful

Video

Beautiful

Photo Gallery

Press

• Brilliant and Indispensable Work [+ Show ]
  

  "...a true excursion into the best world of Melodic Metal, Heavy Metal and Prog Metal styles. ...ver..."...a true excursion into the best world of Melodic Metal, Heavy Metal and Prog Metal styles. ...very impressive and is a real winner for fans of "Nightwish", "Lacuna Coil", "Within Temptation", and "Queensrÿche". Brilliant and indispensable work, highly recommendable. Deserves the maximum rating."

• Top Notch [+ Show ]
  

  "...Awaken is a top notch product from opener and title track 'Awaken' until final track 'Dream'. Th..."...Awaken is a top notch product from opener and title track 'Awaken' until final track 'Dream'. This four piece surprised me all the way, and it's really impossible to point out which tracks are the best."
  
  92 / 100

• Impressive [+ Show ]
  

  "...very impressive. The sound and production is huge... The choruses are very melodic and (instrume..."...very impressive. The sound and production is huge... The choruses are very melodic and (instrumentally) it goes way up to perfection. ...highly recommended to both Prog Metal and Melodic Hard Rock fans!"
  
  8.5 / 10

• (Concert Review) Live at Rocklahoma 2009 [+ Show ]
  

  Story by Jennifer Chance Why would a band drive eleven hours to play in the middle of a field in ...Story by Jennifer Chance
  
  Why would a band drive eleven hours to play in the middle of a field in Pryor, Okla.? For Denver-based band, Bodragaz, the opportunity to play at Rocklahoma 2009, along with the likes of Great White, Twisted Sister and Skid Row, was all the motivation they needed.
  
  Rocklahoma, now in its third year, brings nearly 100 bands together over four days. Although touted as “an ‘80s Rock festival,” the reality is that many of the bands are very current, and very talented. Bodragaz, with their melodic-rock sound, was a perfect fit.
  
  Bodragaz was selected from a few hundred submissions as one of the “side stage” bands, which included Faster Pussycat and Bang Tango. The exposure potential, with management, label executives and press in such close proximity, was not lost on Bodragaz. “A great impression was the first priority,” says bassist, Jim Wescott.
  
  Knowing song choice was critical, the band carefully crafted their set list. “With six albums of material, it’s never easy to select a 45-minute set,” says drummer Mike Taft. As it turned out, the set was even slightly shorter.
  
  Bodragaz took the Funhouse stage just before 2:00 p.m. on day three of the festival. The temperature at the time was officially 101 degrees, but under the stage tent 120 degrees was likely. Taft, on a drum riser and exposed to very little ventilation, felt every song take a little more from him; each new song was a debate. “We actually decided not to play one song – a heavier one – because we just couldn’t,” says Taft.
  
  One song short or not, Bodragaz gave the crowd exactly what they came for – hard-driving, melodic rock with soaring vocals. Did the band walk away from the experience with what they came for? The answer is a resounding yes. They had the opportunity to check out other bands, meet other musicians and experience the camaraderie of the event, taking time to hang out in the campgrounds with festival goers to really get an idea of what the Rocklahoma slogan — “It’s all about the party!” — really means. “From what I saw, people took that to heart!” says Wescott.
  
  After all the revelry and mayhem, where does Bodragaz go now? With a current album listed on Rhapsody.com’s Top 32 Most Significant Releases in Metal, an opening gig for Bon Jovi, and now Rocklahoma on their resume, there is nowhere to go but up. The band is working on a follow up to their most recent release “Awaken” and currently booking local and showcase gigs. Perhaps that exposure will pay off.
  

• (Concert Review) Live with Y&T and Ron Keel [+ Show ]
  

  "Hot off of their opening stint for the sold out Bon Jovi show, it isn’t hard to understand why they..."Hot off of their opening stint for the sold out Bon Jovi show, it isn’t hard to understand why they have been getting so many hot gigs as of late. Playing a mix of Melodic Metal and Prog-Rock, the twin guitar and heavy synth sound made the small venue swell with stadium bigness. Excellent drumming and some cool vocal melodies and harmonies accentuated the performance."

• A Tight Foursome [+ Show ]
  

  "...Awaken proves this thinking-big band is difficult to pigeonhole: They are not a rock-rock band, ..."...Awaken proves this thinking-big band is difficult to pigeonhole: They are not a rock-rock band, but neither are they strictly metal. However you define them, they are a tight foursome who maintain their musicality. ...(Shine) should be released as a single."
  
  4 / 5

• Beautiful Atmosphere [+ Show ]
  

  "...contains certain very good moments and can capture the listener without big effort. What dominat..."...contains certain very good moments and can capture the listener without big effort. What dominates everywhere is the beautiful atmosphere"
  
  70 / 100

• The Sound is Winning [+ Show ]
  

  "...it would be too simplistic to categorize their music, because the style is sufficiently nuanced...."...it would be too simplistic to categorize their music, because the style is sufficiently nuanced. ...the sound is winning."
  
  7 / 10

• Seriously Crunchy, Very Strong [+ Show ]
  

  "...this is some seriously crunchy, but also very strong, music. If you haven’t heard this band in a..."...this is some seriously crunchy, but also very strong, music. If you haven’t heard this band in a while, you haven’t heard them."

• Groovy and Contemporary [+ Show ]
  

  "A lot of bands sound like blueprints of their idols, but that's not the case with the foursome, (wh..."A lot of bands sound like blueprints of their idols, but that's not the case with the foursome, (which) provides us with a rather groovy and contemporary variant of our beloved genre."

Setlist

With six full albums of all original material, 30-90 minute sets are possible.

Basic Requirements

Calendar