Come Dionysus
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Come Dionysus

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"Squalid house site of super concert"

“…Come Dionysus is more intense than straight shots of Everclear” (The Triangle 2/4/2005).

3437 Lancaster Ave. has been condemned, deemed unfit for human life. Soon the bulldozers and the steamrollers will come reduce it to a pile of rubble. Some may mistakenly blame it on those bulldozers, but make no mistake, folks- it was Come Dionysus and Kef that brought this house down.

Ladies and gentleman of Drexel University, let me introduce you to your two best rock bands. The flier read January 30th and promised four bands and three kegs for the reasonable price of $5. Kef, Come Dionysus, Killion and Mailon, To the Moon, and three kegs. It was a party - you missed it. And that sucks for you, my friend. It was Tony Giunta, the bassist for Come Dionysus, who handed me the flier. He described his band's sound as 'neo-grunge.' I've always hated describing this type of music as 'grunge.' You find grunge underneath the hood of your car, not on stage or in a record store. But it wasn't too long into Come Dionysus' set that I realized Tony's description couldn't be more appropriate. I would never dare say that Come Dionysus "sounds like Nirvana", there's much more to them than that. At first their influences threatened to overpower them, but that threat was quickly stomped out. And while the influences of Seattle's sound are there and plain to see (hear), the band has forged beyond it's early-nineties influences to create it's own unique sound.

"I have no problem being compared to Seattle- that's good music," said leader singer/guitarist Chris Jones. "If someone compares us to Nirvana, I'm flattered." This is early 90's alternative rock music. But the members of Come Dionysus have had fifteen years to reflect, and they have used that time wisely. Come Dionysus sounds so powerful, it's hard to believe there are only three guys on stage at any given time. Their music is more intense than straight shots of Everclear; it hits you like a Tyson blow and never lets up.

The bands' mantra is clear: shut up and rock. But don't mistake them for some mindless hard rock band. Their lyrics, while somewhat dark at times, display wit that shouldn't go unnoticed. Jones describes them as "sincere, I hope." Drummer Adam Phaneuf shifts from the fanatically frantic to impeccably hushed, and never misses a beat along the way. Leader singer and guitarist Chris Jones relishes his opportunity and ability to crank out a mean guitar solo. Phaneuff and Jones have been playing together for a year and a half, by their own estimation. They are former members of another Drexel rock band, the now-defunct Dingbats. The chemistry they have developed in those years playing together between them is unquestionable.
Bassist Tony Giunta is the newbie of Come Dionysus, having been with the band for barely a month. "They kind of just said to me 'these are our songs. Learn them,'" Giunta said of joining the band. But Tony's rookie status is non-apparent to the untrained ear, the casual listener. Don't think for a second this comes as criticism, in reality it is only a sign of the potential these three guys have together: When Tony fully gets on the same page as the other two; when the same chemistry between Chris and Adam has developed completely throughout the trio, watch the fuck out. Come Dionysus could be lethal. With the crowd slowly slipping into the delightful depths of college inebriation, co-headliner Kef took the stage. They were graciously given a tough act to follow, and gladly accepted the challenge. Kef is very aptly named, because their laid-back sound will get you high. Their music is much more intoxicating than the magic pixie dust they're named after, and that is saying something. Kef is Chris Bryan on Drums, Ptah Cabrie on Bass, Adam Styer on trumpet, and a man known only as "Towers" (Chris Jankowski) as their lead singer/guitarist. Don't call these guys a jam band, please, simply for the fact that they can jam. Kef is a rock band, plain and freakin simple. But the distinction may be hard to make for some, because Towers and Adam seamlessly stitch together synchronization and improvisation. It was difficult for me to figure out which one they were better at.

http://www.thetriangle.org/media/paper689/news/2005/02/04/Entertainment/Squalid.House.Site.Of.Super.Concert-852794.shtml

- The Drexel University Triangle - by Joby Martin


"Rising Drexel Band Releases 1st Album"

Volume One Issue Two
Lcastrecords.com

"The new album will surely leave an indelible mark on music. The music is a mixture of driving guitar riffs and the poetic lyrics of front man Chris Jones." - Poor Man's Breakfast by Pablo Martinez


"Radio Review"

"The album Mask by Come Dionysus is sensationable. This is a rising Philly band so keep your ears open. Here is the song Bright Idea from the Come Dionysus album Mask." - Philadelphia's Free FM 94.1 WYSP Loud and Local with Tommy Conwell


"Icepack"

"West Philly's answer to the question, "Wha'dhappen if you strapped Jim Morrison's head onto Kurt Cobain's body?" Answer: Come Dionysus (www.myspace.com/comedionysus), whose eponymous CD debuts April 24 at Bar Noir" by AD Amorosi

http://citypaper.net/articles/2006-04-20/ice.shtml - City Paper (Philadelphia)


"Kickin' Tunes Summoned by the God of Theatre Himself"

By: David Goncalves
Issue date: 4/28/06 Section: Entertainment


Filtering through the airwaves recently has been an endless stream of indie and prog-rock, the usual hip-hop and rap, and the regurgitated teenie-bop pop that's been on the radio since my middle-school years. Obviously all these songs are on the radio because some group or another of people particularly enjoys them, but every now and then there is a slew of songs that just strikes you and creates a sort of feeling of relief that something like it still exists or has been created. This similar feeling of relief has been brought upon me by the work of Come Dionysus, a band formed by three Drexel students and alumni, who recently released their first full-length album, Mask.

The flow of the disc is well-put together, thanks to the semi-slow opening to the title track, something that's becoming rare these days. It starts off with a short orchestral like tune slowly rising in tone and then bam, it kicks off a tune with a guitar. Okay, this is perhaps not the most original way to open up a song, but it's still a rather nifty trick and it's effective. Carrying simple tunes that can be clearly heard through the song is something that is canon throughout, and makes it easier to follow most of the songs.

Sometimes the song styles change up a little bit - not too drastically, but enough to make a notable difference - and it actually works quite well, like in "Signal Fading," "Jesus In A Drive Thru" and "Pilgrim." Rather than just jumping right into the song, those songs start off a little softer and lighter than the rest of the disc, but complement the other songs quite well, bringing a little extra to the album.

For the most part, the sound of the album is roughly homogeneous; it has a sort of 90s radio rock feel but has a little of a garage and grunge feel. This is particularly heartwarming because it kind of brings back memories of my time growing up in elementary and middle school, when I first encountered this sort of music. Most of it is very quick and very attractive; it just grabs me, throws me right into it and keeps me attached to the tune.

I do have to admit that sometimes it's really hard to decipher what it is that's being sung. The recording of the instruments sometimes overlaps a little much, though not so much that it's entirely inaudible. However, everything else comes out crystal-clear the whole way through.

I particularly liked the simplicity of the jewel decoration on the album art; the cover is just a reddish felt mask similar to that of the Green Hornets just floating on a black background, with no name or title on it. The back of the album is a receipt, much like the kind you get at a diner, listing the track names down the part where the orders go. I guess the diner receipt thing must just be something I'm still attached to from Jersey, but hey, it does look cool.

All in all, they're not bad. There is some work that can be done, of course; some of the longer songs that are a bit longer can get a little repetitive in the instrumental area, but that's really it. I think that this band is definitely worth a look, especially if you like to support or hear things that come from this school.


http://www.thetriangle.org/media/storage/paper689/news/2006/04/28/Entertainment/Kickin.Tunes.Summoned.By.The.God.Of.Theatre.Himself-1882431.shtml?norewrite200605011847&sourcedomain=www.thetriangle.org
- The Drexel University Triangle


Discography

Mask - Full length album
Cut/ The Sun - single
"Cut" and "Bright Idea" have been featured a number of times on Philadelphia's Free FM 94.1 WYSP's "Loud and Local with Tommy Conwell"

"Bright Idea," "Cut," "The Sun," and "Jesus in a Drive-thru" are available for stream and download at www.comedionysus.com and www.myspace.com/comedionysus

Photos

Bio

In a city as unpredictable as Philadelphia, there are bands that form and dissolve on a daily basis, but the truly passionate always find a way to infiltrate the scene with their art. This story begins in a rundown palace in West Philly, a few feet from Drexel University, in the fall of 2003.

Tired of getting their performance fix by playing acoustic open mics, three housemates with an extra bedroom and a yearning for amplification started jamming on their own ideas. With Adam Phaneuf on the drums, Chris Sulit on bass, and a charismatic Chris Jones singing and playing guitar, they stumbled upon an innovative sound and decided to go with it. Each member was noticeably saturated with influences from opposite ends of the spectrum and were not completely committed to a permanent arrangement. However, the trio practiced consistently and as the Dingbats played their only show in June of 2004 at the Abilene on South Street.

That summer, Sulit started his own project, To The Moon - a more melodious and dark triumphancy that remained more true to his influential roots. Phaneuf stayed in New York City for a few months doing live sound at BB Kings night club and playing in a punk rock band called Sworn Allegiance. Jones spent his time traveling through Italy and France to write and figure things out, but mostly to party. He came back to the States with a born-again resurgence to form another band.

Phaneuf, who had recently left Sworn Allegiance, jumped on board right away, with a similar enthusiasm and mentality of goals to achieve. The two picked up bassist John Walters, and guitarist Dan Reilly, two jam-band influenced musicians, and attempted to play on a lighter and more intricate level. Not quite sharing the same plan to take over the world, Reilly left the group. Jones, Phaneuf and Walters played one show together at the Continental in New York City under the name Come in November of 2004. Walters also came to terms with his lack of interest in the motivation displayed by Phaneuf and Jones and decided to leave as well.

In early January 2005, Phaneuf approached his classmate and acquaintance Tony Giunta about playing bass with them. After learning the songs and a few weeks of practicing together, Giunta was welcomed into the group with the classiest $5 bottle of champagne one could ask for. Giunta fit into the mix perfectly and allowed Jones and Phaneuf to redirect their sound to the hard hitting intensity that they originally had while bringing about a style all his own.

The band settled on the name Come Dionysus, a verbal summons to the Greek god who represents theatre and wine, and is the complete antithesis to law and order. They played their first show together at the end of January 2005 in the living room of the rundown palace where it all began. Come Dionysus has spent their time playing numerous shows, recording in various studios, filming two music videos and gaining fans one heart at a time.

With the release of their first studio full length, Mask, Come Dionysus proves they are ready to take on whatever the world has to offer them. As stated by Joby Martin in Drexel’s official newspaper, “…Come Dionysus is more intense than straight shots of Everclear” (The Triangle 2/4/2005).