Damage

Damage
Viper Room
West Hollywood
Contact: Hotline, 310-860-9170
Web:www.damagetheband.com

The Players:Michael Neufeld, vocals, guitar; Pete Rogers, bass; Colin Crow, guitar; Erin Hawkins, backup vocals; Veeken Tashjian, drums.

Material: Drawing from the heavy riffing of gloom metal and the crunchy grinding of hard rock, Damage's sound forges the connection between alternative, hard rock and heavy metal, similar to Alice in Chains, only more commercial. This group delivers potent melodic rock with thought provoking lyrics.

Musicianship: There are no slackers among the band members of Damage. They are well rehearsed and run a tight ship. Michael Neufeld has strong, potent vocals but never over-sings the melodies allowing the songs to lead the way. Neufeld also doubles on guitar with Colin Crow, and together the two grind in unison, often delivering harmonic sounds that give an added touch to the sometimes predictable metal guitar format. The rhythm section of Pete Rogers on bass and Veeken Tashjian on drums keep a tight, energetic groove, and background vocalist Hawkins voice complements Neufeld nicely.

Performance: There was an air of anticipation wafting through the packed-to-capacity crowd at the Viper Room. Prior to even taking the stage, Damage set up screens on opposite ends of the room, and played one of their music videos, which served as their introduction. When Damage finally took the stage with guns blazing, no one was disappointed. Playing guitar and singing lead vocals, Neufeld performance rang sincere, and the rest of the band enthusiasm, like their music, was raw and energetic.

Summary: In their own words, Damage claim their focus is on writing really good songs, quality musicianship, exciting live performances and aggressive marketing. With the stiff competition every rock band faces in L.A., they need to cover all these bases consistently. With their talent, hard work and current fan base, they appear to already be making a name for themselves. Perseverance will be the key.

-Anne O’Neary
- Music Connection Magazine, August 2005

Orange County-based DAMAGE (www.damagetheband.com) has brought home "Best Hard Rock Band" at the First Annual Southern California Music Awards (SCMA). The awards show recognizes emerging musical talent found in Southern California. The same folks broke through the local music scene with events such as the Orange County Music Awards and the Inland Empire Music Awards offering bands and solo artists from all cities in Southern California the opportunity to be heard and seen. For the first time, all musical communities came together to jam the night away and demonstrate the tremendous amount of musical diversity found in the Los Angeles market and surrounding areas. The event was sponsored by Indie 103.1 FM and SunsetStrip.com.

"We are so appreciative of this honor and wish to thank Indie 103.1 FM, SunsetStrip.com, all the sponsors, the great nominees, and especially Martin Brown for everything he does for the Southern California music scene." said DAMAGE lead singer Michael Neufeld upon receiving the award for "Best Hard Rock Band."

DAMAGE was judged against hundreds of entries including such hard rock'n bands as Shameless, Tractor Pull Champs, Hindsight 20/20 and Conspiracy of Thought to take home first place in the "Best Hard Rock" Category.

"Drawing from the heavy riffing of gloom metal and the crunchy grinding of hard rock, DAMAGE's sound forges the connection between alternative, hard rock and heavy metal, similar to Alice in Chains, only more commercial. This group delivers potent melodic rock with thoughtprovoking Lyrics." Commented Music Connection Magazine in a recent DAMAGE live review.

- Luck Media, Beverly Hills, CA

Damage's song “What Is” was already a smash hit in cyberspace, ranking as high as #13 out of more than 15,000 rock songs of all time on www.Garageband.com, the largest independent music site on the internet. While this was quite an accomplishment, their second single "The Show" really shows what is possible for the Orange County California-based rockers who have been packing and selling out clubs such as the famed Viper Room in Los Angeles. "The Show" backs up what Music Connection Magazine said in a live review that "Damage delivers potent melodic rock with thought provoking lyrics."

Headed by Sir George Martin, legendary producer of The Beatles, Garageband.com was ranked best on the web by both the New York Times and Time Magazine. "The Show", off Damage's Velocity CD, debuted as "Track Of The Day" on Garageband.com and is currently is #1.

Visit http://www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSkZlazYmE to listen to Damage's #1 track "The Show" on Garageband.com.

Damage is currently in the studio preparing for their next CD release.

# # #

For more information on DAMAGE contact:
Steve Levesque or James Levesque at Luck Media & Marketing, Inc. at (310) 860-9170
info@luckmedia.com, www.luckmedia.com or www.DAMAGEtheband.com
- Luck Media, Beverly Hills, CA

"The opening band, Damage, also showcased impressive qualities. The metal band's final number was particularly awe-inspiring. The jam began with the intro to Led Zeppelin's "Over The Hills And Far Away," which seamlessly morphed into a hard-rocking, distorted guitar driven cover of "Come Together," originally performed by The Beatles."
- Arbiter Online

"Tesla returned Cincinnati, Ohio a couple of weeks ago, this time in support of their latest album Forever More.

Tesla always manages to bring some new bands with them each tour and this time it was not different. Opening up for the Sacramento rockers, where Southern California’s Damage, and Kansas City’s The Leo Project.

I must admit that I have only heard a song or two from either of the opening acts so I didn’t have any expectations of any kind.

Damage took the stage first, and I was pleasantly surprised by this band. I thought Damage was a tad bit harder than The Leo Project, and had better songs...
The Leo Project did not impress me as much as Damage. Damage is an up and coming band worth keeping an eye on."
- Hardrockhideout.com

Damage, a mix of alternative, hard rock and metal hail from Orange County, California (there is an Orange County in Florida too but there there are mainly actual oranges). Their most recent CD Truth and Consequence was released this past summer on Adrenaline Music. The band has been on the road -- and will continue on the road -- to support the album. Michael Neufeld, the band's frontman / guitarist talked to Gearwire about his Basson B412SL 300 watt Guitar Cabinet.

"Basson actually approached me with a sponsorship deal. I had always played through Marshalls and Mesa Boogies, but they insisted that I had to come down to San Diego and try out their new guitar cabinet." says Neufeld.

He was glad he did.

"The tone and clarity was amazing. They pointed out that although the cabinets contain four excellent Eminence Legend 75 watt speakers, the real juice behind this cabinet is in the construction of the cabinet itself," he says. "The tight, inflexible construction utilizes highly resonant 100% medium density fiberboard (MDF) connected with butt joints (instead of dovetails) and 1.25-inch bracing. This really maximizes the speakers' performance. I can tell you that the cabinet weighs more than any other 4x12 I've owned, but it's worth it."

So you have functionality, excellent sound and an upper body workout all rolled into one?

"It is what I expected after demoing it: clean, loud, very responsive." says Neufeld. "I had actually considered getting their 480 watt version of the same cabinet, but the 300 watt version is plenty."

The best feature of the cabinet, according to Neufeld is that it is "Clean. Clean. Clean." But it is equally responsive to high-gain, drop-tuned material.

The only down side is the aforementioned weight. Neufeld concedes that if it weighed less the construction quality would be sacrificed.

Neufeld uses a number of different heads with the cabinet.

"I currently use the new Bogner / Line 6 HD 100 Spider Valve tube head. I also run my Marshall JCM 2000 at times. Both work really well. Because of all of the modeling settings available in the Bogner / Line 6 head at your fingertips, the Basson cabinet, with it's ability to deliver a wider frequency range than most other cabinets, really performs nicely when shifting between the various settings on the head," he says. "Clean is clean. Recto is pure recto. The Basson is going to deliver what the head is asking in every respect. My Marshall head even sounds better through the Basson than it does through my Marshall lead cabinet. Again I think the highly resonant material and tight construction in the hand-made Basson delivers better overall tone than the mass-produced Marshall."
- Gearwire.com

Damage - Truth And Consequence
2007, Atomic Theory Publishing

Orange County, California has been the launching ground of a number of significant rock and roll acts. Arists such as No Doubt, Korn, Avenged Sevenfold and Saosin have all started out from The OC. The region continues to be an incredibly competitive and productive market for rock acts, and the next big thing is on the horizon: Damage stands at the crossroads where rock, alternative and heavy metal converge. The electric alchemy the band creates is evident on their 2nd release, Truth And Consequence. I hope you have your seatbelts on.

Truth And Consequence opens with God, a highly commercial but typical rock radio tune. Built on a guitar hook vaguely reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne and heavy layering, God is something of a rock and roll cliché. Don't Wait On Me blows all of the clichés out of the water, however, rocking like nobody's business. My Point Of View continues in this vein. My Point Of View is very dark in mood and musical timbre with a memorable chorus. Damage is very reminiscent of Soundgarden here.

Another Girl is very much a pop song and could be a potential hit. Every Single Day returns to the Soundgarden style sounds with crushing guitar and an innovative bass line. Every Single Day is my pick for top track here as it has a pop sensibility woven into its seams. Other highlights include Raise The Dead, You Seeing Me and The Other Side.

Damage is the sort of heavy rock band that doesn't come along everyday. Presenting with a heavy guitar sound, Damage presents with a strong melodic sense, great harmonies, big hooks and a feel for the dramatic. Truth And Consequence is a stellar debut that should have impact at Modern Rock formats such as The Edge. Good listen. - Wildy's World

The stage is set for Damage, the next in a line of rock, metal and alternative kings hailing from Orange County, California – a who’s who line of bands like No Doubt, Korn, Avenged Sevenfold, The Offspring and Social Distortion. The 5-piece act has been following a similar path carved out by these ultra-successful groups, taking home the Best Hard Rock Band Award from the 2006 Southern California Music Awards and finding themselves compared to the legendary Alice in Chains by Music Connection Magazine.

And these guys (and girl) have been doing it the right way from the start, figuring out their metal formula while building a fan base from the ground up through intense songwriting and heavy guitar riffs. Starting out with just three members, Damage has now expanded out to five, allowing for even more instrumentation and swinging vocals. The follow-up to their debut, “Velocity” is titled “Truth and Consequence,” a record with “More introspection about our individual places in the world and our collective responsibility to face certain truths and challenge ourselves.” There’s no denying the fact that Damage has upped their game for this collection – apart from the in your face guitar sound smashing, you’ll notice they mix up their rock style with music from the cello, viola, piano, even trumpets; like the orchestra swung through the studio.

“Truth and Consequence” brings it on so many levels, but they’re happy as long you notice the “big abusive guitars” – a personal passion of theirs. Part of the reason Damage has grown as much as they have is their live show, something they pride themselves on; an act that will have you talking about them for weeks after the performance. Get out to one, and pick up the new record. There’s a lot more to learn in the XXQ’s, so get to it.

XQs: Damage

PensEyeView.com (PEV): Tell how Damage first came together. Was it an instant connection the first day you practiced together?

Michael: About 4 years ago, I was asked by friends to sub-in for the lead guitarist of a San Diego-based band at a local gig. The other band members and I hit it off real well and we decided to embark on a new project that would soon become Damage. We started writing together and gigged all over SoCal (southern California). I was then introduced to producer Ronnie King backstage at an Offspring concert and he ended up producing our first album “Velocity”. After about a year or two we replaced some members who didn’t have the time to continue touring and driving the project forward. I’m really blessed to get to play music with my current bandmates as they are really great musicians as well as great people.

PEV: Hailing from “The O.C.” (Orange County ? California), what kind of music were you listening to growing up?

Michael: Bands like Social Distortion, Offspring, and No Doubt were and still are great influences on us and other bands in the area. Some of my other all-time favorite bands are STP, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains, G&R, Led Zeppelin, and Chili Peppers. I’m also a huge fan of guitar virtuosos like Steve Vai and EVH.

PEV: Do people often ask you about the shows like “The O.C.”, or “Housewives” when you say you are from the OC? People from out of the area do all the time. What’s one big misconception about your area?

Michael: The biggest misconception is obviously that we all live a very superficial life like they do on those shows. There is also a very real, earthy, and chill version of Orange County that many people from out of the area don’t realize. Hanging out on Huntington Beach with friends and a cooler of cold beer is about as OC as it gets.

PEV: What was it like for Damage when you were first breaking into the music business? Before you were getting press, and regular gigs?

Michael: Probably like it is for most bands, it started in a small lockout rehearsal space finding our sound and songwriting, playing any shows we could find around town. My buddy Christopher Scott produced a 4-song demo for us in his home studio and we used that to get gigs. You know, just staying after it and being focused on songwriting and doing a lot of grassroots marketing to build a fan base.

PEV: What can fans expect from a live Damage show?

Michael: We really strive to sound as good as, or even better than, our studio recordings. That is always a goal of ours. Sometimes things are beyond our control with that, like the room or the sound system at the club, but we do our best. We want our fans to experience quality when they see us live. That is really important to us.

PEV: How have your shows evolved from when you first started out?

There has to be tons, I’m sure? We used to be a 3-piece, we’re now 5. We’ve added a lot more instrumentation and vocals with our 2 additional members. Fans love Erin, our very hot and energetic backup singer who also breaks out her cello on stage on some songs. She adds a very cool element to our loud guitars.

PEV: Any embarrassing or crazy live show stories? There has to be tons, I’m sure?

Michael: Erin kicking out my guitar cable on several occasions. She gets a little out of control on stage sometimes. Nothing more embarrassing than having no sound in the middle of a guitar solo. Another time we played a big show in OC with several other bands. The production guys at the venue forgot to take our huge banner down after our set and the next band played their whole set with a 20 foot wide Damage banner prominently lit up and hanging behind them. The other band was cool about it but I felt bad that they didn’t get their banner up. There are some crazy backstage stories but we’ll leave it at that.

PEV: If you could collaborate with one artist out today, who would it be and why?

Michael: Wow. That’s a tough question. For me it would be Jimmy Page. I would love to write and record a song with him. He’s a hero of mine, and the most innovative guitarist ever in my opinion. I was really jealous when the Foo Fighters got to play with Zeppelin recently. Dave Grohl said it was the greatest moment of his life. I totally believe he was genuine about that. That lucky fucker.

PEV: As well, is there an up and coming artist right now that you think we should all be looking out for?

Michael: Yes, an incredible singer-songwriter named Marianna Ladas. I’m a bit biased as I’m producing her debut album right now. She’s a really compelling artist. Stay tuned.

PEV: Tell us, what can fans expect from your latest release, “Truth And Consequence”?

Michael: More introspection about our individual places in the world and our collective responsibility to face certain truths and challenge ourselves. Self-responsibility is a virtue that so often is misplaced onto others and is something that seems particularly relevant to us today. We also used a variety of instruments on this album to stretch ourselves musically. In addition to our normal guitars, bass and drums, you’ll hear cello, viola, piano, trumpets, and other instruments. We wanted certain elements in the music that we felt we needed to help embody the messages we were trying to convey.

PEV: How is “Truth And Consequence” different from other music out today?

Michael: We don’t necessarily write with an eye towards being different, but we do have such a variety to our musical backgrounds that often these different concepts when combined form a unique sound. For example, you’ll hear what we believe to be pretty interesting bridges in most of these songs, things you might not expect. The bridges on “God” and “You seeing me” sound like something you might expect to hear on a heavy metal version of the Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s album. Overall we tried to deliver compositions that were rich and musical, relevant, yet still with big abusive guitars — a personal passion of mine.

PEV: When you sit down to write an album like “Truth And Consequence” what kind of environment do you surround yourselves in?

Michael: I like to write in my backyard on my $50 Mexican acoustic guitar with my dogs sitting around me. I probably wrote 6 or 7 seven of the songs on T&C that way. Really though, I don’t often “sit down to write”. I usually have some kind of guitar in my hands, if I’m hanging out or watching TV or even sitting in front of my computer. I’m more riff-oriented. My fingers will start doing something on their own and they’ll catch my attention. Then I take over from them on something that resonates for me musically and develop it. Then I bring it into the band to further develop it. I usually write music first and then lyrics. I like to sit with what I’ve just composed musically for a while and decipher what the music means and what it is saying to me. Then I write the lyrics. It’s a bit backwards but it’s what I do. This way, I feel like the song is a natural birth as the music is always telling me something. It would be hard for me to write a story and then put music to it.

PEV: What’s one thing we’d be surprised to hear about the members of Damage?

Michael: Tony is a cancer survivor. GW went to the famous Berklee School of Music in Boston. Spencer has appeared in over 25 movies and TV shows in various musician cameo roles over the past few years. Erin is an amazing artist (painter). I enjoy cooking.

PEV: How have your friends and family reacted to all your success?

Michael: Extremely supportive since the beginning. It’s really been a fun ride for everyone.

PEV: If we were to walk into your practice studio right now, what’s one thing we’d most likely find?

Michael: Cans of barbecue sauce. We rent a warehouse behind my buddy’s office which is home to his barbecue restaurant business. There is a big fridge with pork butt in there as well. We’ve pretty much taken it over now and it’s really a state of the art rehearsal studio. But there’s still some sauce lying around.

PEV: How is life on the road for you? Good parts? Bad parts?

Michael: Good for the most part. Playing music on the road and meeting new people and seeing new places is awesome. But you definitely miss your family and friends when they’re not with you. The worst part of all time was when we hit a deer outside of Boulder, Colorado. I should say he really hit us, ran right at us from across the freeway, hit our back fender and went flying 30 feet into the air. It seemed like he was committing suicide. It was really sad.

PEV: In your opinion, is there a certain city (US or International) that you find to be the best city for music?

Michael: Austin, Texas is amazing. A lot of the Southern cities really come out hard for good rock. But places like Minneapolis and Denver are also surprisingly strong. There are so many great rock festivals in Europe that dwarf a lot of the festivals here in the U..S. We forget I think sometimes that there are great rock bands overseas, amazing bands, and great music scenes in places you would never think.

PEV: As well, where’s one place you haven’t played, you would like to? Why?

Michael: Japan. It would be a crazy experience all the way around I think.

PEV: Where will Damage be ten years from now?

Michael: Hopefully writing, recording, and performing as a group. It would be fantastic to be sustainable and relevant as a rock band for many years. So few have accomplished that. Why are U2 and Bruce Springsteen still winning Grammys to this day as best artist, best album, etc.? I hope there are some bands in our generation that can approach these levels of accomplishment over time. I just wanna be making music, that’s all. Individually, I think we’ll all be active in music, writing and producing in some fashion.

PEV: So, what’s next for Damage?

Michael: More touring to support “Truth and Consequence”. We’ll also go back into the studio very soon to record new tracks. Basically, keep pushing. - Pens Eye View

"...Damage had enough chops to to catch the eye of producer Ronnie King (The Offspring, No Doubt, Rancid, Pennywise, and Tupac) whose efforts have paid off with a solid and polished product...'What Is' starts the project off nicely, the vocals soaring and melodic over the taut arrangement, with some retro references that work beautifully...Neufeld's vocals are expressive, the lyrics moving...'Floating' is another fresh track, aided and abetted by gorgeous synth work and lyrics that dazzle..." - Indie-Music.com, August 2005

COOL EVERYTHING
If I told you that this is one the coolest tunes that I've heard on this web-site. This leaves me pondering this, why aren't you signed to a major label?? This is absolutely incredible. The guitars, vocals, bass, drumms are tight. You guys are definately going places.

TASTY EFFECTS & SOARING VOCAL PERFECTION!!!
I liked this entire song! The production was great! The way the song Jarred into the main body music was incredibly entertaining and effective! An obvious influence is Alice In Chains and the lead vocalist is able to pull it off remarkably! Powerful and strong sums up the vocal and musical performance. If this artist isn't signed already you soon will be!

HELLO!!?? I'm Jealous!
Nasty live feel. Great drum sounds. Excellent vocal set-up and band-answer back and forth thing.
THEN, here's where you win me over: that whole diminishing (?) chord change for the chorus. I am the biggest sucker for ANY chromatic movement...

Drummer form HELL! On the money, basic, not the kinda primadonna that wastes time with HiHat 1/16 note triplet shit. THANKS FOR JUST SITTNIG BACK AND CHOPPING WOOD, bro. THAT's a drummer...

Bass player: Thunderbirds/Blue Angel flying right with him...

Production and Mastering (?): wow...

Guitars: staright-up nasty, clean/dirty and honest...

Singer...!! you kicked my ass with your confidence. and on-pitch delivery. You know who you are and you exhude that sexy strut that a lead singer needs to have to propel a good band into being a great band...

I would NEVER want to follow you guys on stage, at a gig...

Bands like you scare the following band...

I live to be this inspired. I know when a band is great on tape and is gonna be iffy live. THIS, my friends, is what it will sound like if they set up in your living room without a sound check...

Aw, f*** you guys. You've raised the bar too high. But not as high as my drink is in toasting you...

I'm giving you SIX stars...
- Garageband.com