D'AMATO

ROCK HAS A NEW NAME...KNOW IT!
D'AMATO
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D'AMATO'S BLISTERING DEBUT INTRODUCES
THE PROVOCATIVE TERM "SYNESTHESIA"
INTO THE INDIE MODERN ROCK VOCABULARY
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Songs From L.A. Based Band�s 4-Song EP, Produced By
Bryan Carlstrom (Alice In Chains, Offspring), J.J. Blair (David Bowie, Rod Stewart)
and Thom Russo (Jay-Z, System of a Down, AudioSlave),
Is All the Rage on Myspace.com While Receiving Airplay
On Dave Navarro's SpreadRadioLive.com
People want to see a spectacle, and it�s not something you can fake,� says Anthony D'Amato, lead singer, songwriter and namesake of the L.A. indie band D'Amato, whose four song debut EP Synesthesia is as blistering, in your face and incendiary as their skyrocketing career on the DIY circuit.

On the back of the EP, superimposed upon a blindfolded D'Amato, whose shirt is open and with hands tied behind his back, are the words: "Synesthesia: a phenomenon in which one type of sensation evokes the sensation of another."Look at the color red, for example," says D'Amato. It'll remind you of fire, or the feeling of passion or anger. Music is the perfect example, where a song can evoke many different emotional responses, or a certain taste, sight or sound that at first seems unconnected. Music involves a transformation of the senses. The album title and the songs on the EP are provocative, designed to make listeners question their perspective. How does it change when you hear music?�
D'Amato continues, "Everyone is caught between darkness and hope. People are looking for change, and want to hear something different that takes them to unique places. My influences are artists that are familiar to many fans, from Tool and Soundgarden to Depeche Mode, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. But I bring to the table my own character and freshness by mixing aggressiveness with a softer side that is soft and direct. My band makes this music because there are so many dynamic options, and not just one dimension."
Despite the growing local and worldwide acclaim,which includes blazing gigs at Sunset Strip haunts the Key Club, Whiskey a Go-Go and Viper Room, as well as airplay on Italy's Radio Antenna Due--the charismatic, New York and Philly bred artist keeps it all in perspective: "In a weird way, we're like Audioslave without money."
Audioslave is a good point of comparison as, the songs on Synethesia were mixed to vibrant perfection by Grammy winner Thom Russo, who has worked similar magic for that band as well as Jay-Z and System of a Down. The EP was co-produced by Russo, Bryan Carlstrom (Offspring, Alice in Chains, Billy Idol) and J.J. Blair (David Bowie, Rod Stewart). Carlstrom was blown away by D'Amato's home demo (created via Logic and Pro Tools) for "Killer In Me", and produced that song,the disc's scorching opening track,as well as "Take You Down." Blair helmed the later sessions for "Speak No Evil" and "Edge of Disaster".
"The whole idea of creating a four song EP as opposed to a full length project with 15 tracks was to leave the listener wanting to hear more", says D'Amato. "There are a lot of ways to interpret these songs. I wanted to grab the listener by the throat, almost as if we're talking to someone who is duct taped to a chair! This CD is about the karma of words, and how what we say affects everything from passion to politics and it speaks to the reality of tragedies that impact our life."
Here's a secret D'Amato, a former DJ and a big fan of vinyl, doesn't mind sharing: he loves all artists on his "official" list of influences but the two rock classics that he considers "epiphany albums" are Frampton Comes Alive and Rod Stewart: Absolutely Live.
The impact these made is clear. Although the band has licensed tracks for independent films (including the David Carradine/Portia da Rossi project �Dead & Breakfast�) and TV (MTV's Pimp My Ride), it's in the live setting is where the D'Amato experience really takes off.
There's a visual element, too. Celebs, thousands of D'Amato fans from MySpace.com and Dave Navarro's SpreadRadioLive.com and newcomers to the D'Amato experience will no doubt revel as much in the music as the singer's provocative gangsta-like "Discipline�" scrawled in old English lettering across his stomach.
As a first generation American, he inherited his Italian determination to succeed: "You learn a certain work ethic. That's where those roots are established." And as a conceptualist and groundbreaking force of musical nature, D'Amato acknowledges that he wants his music to be a soundtrack for living. "There's nothing greater than seeing people out there singing along to the music," he says. "It's also exciting to get fan mail from as far away as Italy, about how our music has impacted people's lives. It doesn't matter if someone is listening in Hong Kong, Helsinki or Hoboken. Everyone caught between the darkness and hope I write about will be able to understand where we are coming from."
D'Amato the band is currently