Dear Diary

I had the wonderful opportunity of being able to spend a day in the studio with the new pop rock sensation, Dear Diary.

I was invited to the studio by singer Josh Mondro to watch the boys in action. I have to admit, I was nervous at first to meet the band members, but those nerves melted away as they introduced themselves to me. I quickly realized that they were not the "stereotypical band," where I half-expected everyone to be sitting in a chair and nod their head my way as I introduced myself. Instead, I was welcomed with wide smiles and warm handshakes. Within minutes, I felt as if I was a part of the band, even though I can barely play a chord on the guitar.

In relation to my inexperience musically, Dear Diary is on the opposite end of the spectrum. After talking with them, I learned that the Detroit-based band has over 30 years of experience between the five members. Pretty impressive considering the youngest member is 17 and the oldest 21.

During our conversation, I discovered that Dear Diary is the product of the members forming from their previous bands that fell apart. Guitarist Chris Siers and singer Mondro met by coincidence after their voice instructor suggested that they meet after hearing stories of bands previous. Siers and Mondro picked up guitarist, Marco Principe from another local band and the three set out to find their own sound.

Seeking more members, the boys went on a search for a bassist and drummer. Siers and Mondro met bassist Jake Houck who coincidentally lived with Jon Dameron, a drummer sponsored by Shine Drums. For the boys, all the missing pieces kept falling perfectly into place for them.

After practicing, the boys realized how much chemistry they had while playing as a group, thus Dear Diary was born. "It's so cool that it happened. Us five guys together," Siers said.

Now, that I had the back story of the band, I wanted to get an inside scoop to see what the band was currently working on. I found out that the five boys are constantly in their studio working on perfecting their sound. They have lots of support from their manager, Shorty Ounce (All Time Low, Fall Out Boy, Kings of Leon) to oversee their climb up the music ladder. "Shorty is the man, enough said," Houck says. Thoroughly enjoying working with Shorty, Mondro said that "it's great to be able to work with someone so professional and fun."

Right now, Dear Diary's main focus is their upcoming single, "Hey! What? Guess What?" and their debut EP that they will be traveling to New Jersey to record with Rob Freeman (Cobra Starship) in May. "We're excited to get into the studio with someone who as such a natural feel for bands in our genre," Dameron said.

After hearing crumbling stories of bands past and their solid plans for the future, the boys asked me if I wanted to hear them play. I was ecstatic to be able to get a "sneak preview" of Dear Diary. I thought they were only going to play me one or two songs, but they ended up playing their six-song set list. While I would have been perfectly happy listening to one song, but now I realized that one song would have been a tease. I am grateful that they played six songs instead.

As I listened and watched, I couldn't help but be overpowered by the music. Each song was better than the last and the energy in which they performed with, probably could have powered a small city. I thought to myself, "If this enthusiasm is the way they practice, they must be a great band to see live."

After hanging out with the boys of Dear Diary for a day and observing them in action, being together as a band seems so natural to them. They carry themselves very professionally and I saw that their passion for music was more than skin deep. The guitarists were even teaching the drummer how to play their single, "Hey! What? Guess What?" on the guitar. After having five days of instruction, Dameron kept up pretty well with Houck.

I have no doubt that Dear Diary will soon be taking over the music scene. I know their fans are looking forward to seeing more Dear Diary in the near future. The five members are very confident that their fans will continue to enjoy their upbeat and energetic music.

Siers hopes their fans will make them "Ghostbuster famous." He says, "Seriously, who doesn't know the Ghostbusters?"

Houck says that for Dear Diary, the sky is the limit. But Mondro politely corrects him by saying, "No. The stars are the limit."

Soon they'll be releasing their much anticipated single, "Hey! What? Guess What?" So be sure to check out www.myspace.com/deardiarydd for music and more information about the boys.

Interview by: Kim Gallagher - Fanbolt.com