Death By Fame
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Death By Fame

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"Local band aims high"

Local band aims high
Death By Fame shoots for national stardom
By Matt Cook

EDITOR

There are garage bands, there are bar bands, and there are bands with higher
aspirations. Norwood's Death by Fame is the latter.

"I've always wanted to be famous, I'm not going to lie," said drummer Bobby

Kiklis as the band members set up for a recent practice session in their rehearsal space in a Norwood industrial park. "I like attention." With some radio play on local stations and regular gigs around the area, Death by Fame has already achieved a certain measure of success. At their regular appearances at the Krayzee Horse Pub and Grill, the bandmates said happily, crowd members know the lyrics and sing along. But, that's not enough for this band whose goal is nothing short of national stardom and achieving the rock and roll lifestyle.

"I want to wake up in a different state with a different story every day,"
said guitarist and singer Neil Hanson.

Rounding out the trio is bassist John Prata. From Hyde Park, Prata is the only member not a Norwood native. The band's latest, greatest hope for recognition is its first full-length album, which is coming out this month and will be available in stores and online. Self-recorded and released, the album features 12 songs co-written by Hanson, Prata, and Kiklis.

The band says its style is heavily influenced by the music the members heard
growing up: Metallica, Nirvana, Green Day, plus stuff from their parents' Beatles and Led Zeppelin records.

"My first bedtime song was Yellow Submarine," Prata said.

Called "just rock and roll" by Prata, Death By Fame's MySpace page describes
the sound further: "Their musical talent ranges from the sway back-and-forth, sing-a-long songs to the pump-your-fist-in-the-air side of the spectrum." Of the three, Kiklis got his start in music the earliest in life. His father was a drummer, he said, and he cut down a pair of his sticks so his young son could handle them. After a motorcycle accident, Kiklis had to learn to play drums with his left foot.

The other two, Prata and Hanson, took up their instruments in their early teens, when a lot of their high school comrades starting learning guitar. Though he got a guitar for Christmas in 1994, Prata said, it wasn't long before he switched to bass. Somebody had to do it, he explained.

"Out of the three or four of us (who played guitar), I was the only one who
was willing to play bass," he said. "It was a really good choice."

Death By Fame rose out of the ashes of Hanson's and Kiklis's previous band,
Swift. Prata, who was with Poor Boy Sugar, signed on after a couple trial practices. Each of the musicians admits Death By Fame is by far the best group they've been in and their best chance for success. They attribute a lot of that to
the easy-going chemistry the men share.

"I think it's the most important thing in the world," Hanson said. "For me,
this is another family."

While they each work day jobs, the members of Death By Fame consider the band their career.

"This is our company," Hanson said.

They practice at least three times a week, play gigs as often as possible, and, in between, promote the band on the web, radio, and elsewhere. They're hoping a record label, management company, or entertainment lawyer will pick them up and take over those duties. Until then, everything's done in house, from the songwriting to the production of their CDs.

While their friends are getting careers and starting families, the members of Death By Fame aren't yet willing to give up on their shot at making it big. It's the only thing they want to do, they say. They're already looking forward to the road.

"I've never even been out of New England," Prata said.





Editor Matt Cook can be reached at 781-433-8356 or at mcook@cnc.com.



- The Transcript


"Band is still chasing the dream"

Band is still chasing the dream


BY REBECCA KEISTER STAFF WRITER
Thursday, December 7, 2006 1:26 AM EST



Death by Fame plays. Neil Hanson (RIGHT) John Prata and Bobby Kiklis on drums. MARTIN GAVIN (Staff photo by MARTIN GAVIN)
A lot of what you might assume about a small-time band struggling to find their way to fame probably is true.

The members of locally-based Death By Fame - who have received air time on major Boston stations - put in long hours and late nights, often receive little, if any, pay for their shows and are forever searching - and hoping - for someone to notice them.
But what you might not know is that they outlaw excessive partying, take their personal lives just as seriously as their music, and are actually a little jealous of their friends who have more stable careers.

"People went to college and now they're buying houses and getting married," said Neil Hanson, 28, lead guitar and lead vocals. "We're just getting by. This is what we want to do. But it's not easy."

Hanson, drummer Bob Kiklis, 27, and bass guitarist John Prata, 25, who also provides backing vocals, have been in the trying- to-make-it game together for about two years, but their passions and ties to each other run much longer.

Kiklis, known more often as "Kika," and Hanson have been playing together in one form or another since just after high school and both were former members of the band Swift.

When Hanson left that group, because of another member's drug use, Kiklis tried to tough it out but also found himself unable to tolerate the unstable environment.

The two got back together, and picked up Prata, who had played with another band, through mutual friends. A spontaneous jam session quickly turned into recording a demo that lead to play on radio stations such as WBCN and WAAF, as well as college stations across the country.

They've also played at some of Boston's smaller, but widely popular, clubs, including The Middle East, Paradise and The Rack, and at venues in Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

There are thrills. Hearing themselves on the radio never gets old and Prata says playing live is "goose bumps every time." Often, their songs are played on air because of listener requests.

But the reality of not only making and recording music, but also promoting their band and playing shows while working regular jobs to pay rent is a world of hard work.

"Truth? Time is the biggest thing," Kiklis said. "Everything is in house. It's so much work, and you can only do so much (on your own). It's overwhelming."

"We're a struggling band, playing shows for sometimes nothing," Hanson said. "Without someone behind you, it's tough."

But they're not willing to settle. They're going to wait for the right label fit, and they gladly spend what money they do have on their own merchandising and promoting.

Shows are booked by networking and soliciting clubs, meeting other bands that mesh with their punk-rock sound to package shows, and maintaining a strong local fan base.

Living their dream also is about maintaining a humble attitude.

"Last night, we played to a show of 20 people and 15 were from the other band," Hanson said. "But we met those guys, and they said they'd to play with us again. You just don't know, and you can't walk past it."

On the plus side, they still have time for family and friends, and they take those obligations to heart. The evening of this interview, a night off, Kiklis was going straight home to spend time with his family and Hanson had a movie date.

"My friends say, 'I wish I had the guts to do what you're doing.' My family is cool, they say we're good. But when they (say) 'when is enough is enough', that's..... it's never enough," Kiklis said.

The band currently is recording what will be their first packaged full-length album, which they hope to have in stores by January, at Zolla Productions in Norwood. They insist that all three contribute equally to the song-writing process, and that although they have plenty of material, not everything they write is about their own lives.

"I love the music we play. We're writing good music," Prata said. "That's rewarding. I don't think we've ever gotten into an argument. It just comes."

And how long will they wait for mainstream success to come their way? They are actively looking for a label and manager or, for that matter, someone to school them in public relations. They say they'll keep doing it until that happens or forever - which ever one comes first.

"I've always wanted to be a rock star, to travel the world and get paid to play music," Kiklis said. "This is the only thing I'm good at."

Hanson said he won't stop until he doesn't have to work a day job.

"I can't really see anything else," he said.

"I don't want to see it," Prata said.

.



Keri wrote on Dec 8, 2006 3:28 PM:

" Check out http://www.areyoulistening.com . It's a great, grass-roots type website for independent bands to be heard and interconnect. Best of luck! "



Torri wrote on Dec 7, 2006 9:54 AM:

" Guys, keep on trucking and don't ever lose your dream. I'm old enough to be each one of your's dad, but I'm still playing. I know I'll never be a rock star at this point in my life, but I still experience all the feelings that you guys do. Playing for a live audience is second to none. But marketing the band, searching for bookings, endless rehearsals, late hours, long road trips and low money or even getting stiffed by some venues is all stuff the average person doesn't know about. Don't give up. I think it's great that you're still trying and still motivated. Despite everything, it's still a rush, isn't it? Good luck and stay the course. "





















- The Sun Chronicle


Discography

DBF has one 4 song EP, and a full length album in the works
1. Every Time We Say Goodbye, this song is our radio single, and is being played on college radio across the country and world, major markets include 107.3fm WAAF and 104.1fm WBCN in Boston Ma, and all over costa rica
2. I Got Problems
3. I Hate Your Friends
4. Its Only Every Day

Photos

Bio

Before Death By Fame, each member had their own projects; Bobby Kiklis and Neil Hanson were members of Swift and John Prata, in Poor Boy Sugar. In 2004, the three members met for a simple jam session to collectively produce music that they were satisfied with. Within a couple weeks, they recognized the potential they had to influence the airwaves. For months, the members of Death By Fame worked diligently with their music, longing for it to be perfected. Through this, it gave them the passion to make their craft more in tune to make their dreams come true. Once Death By Fame started performing, it was evident how much they wanted to be seen and heard. Growing in popularity, Death By Fame has played on both floors of The Middle East, The Paradise, The Palace, Tweeter Center at Locobazooka, and have also participated in benefit shows to show their support, including charities such as the Tsunami Relief Fund, and Cancer Foundations,and the Raberta Felix foundation for handicap children in south america. Death By Fame is about the fans. They are receptive of opinions of good music and atmosphere. Which they use to drive their own art. With the passion for their music that they are writing now and they're relentless efforts to be recognized, they hope to take this project as far as they are able to� maybe further. Currently, they have almost four years of friendship,played over 150 shows as DBF,toured Cost Rica(south america), and have musical chemistry and rapport. As a band, they have the energy and drive to fill an average of three sets of their original songs. Death By Fame has the talent, dedication, and potential to be world renowned. Death by Fame... it's only the beginning. Listening to Death By Fame live is something else. Not only can you hear catchy original songs from them, they also cover songs from The Beatles, David Bowie, Weezer, Green Day, Billy Idol and many more. Their musical talent ranges from the sway back-and-forth, sing-a-long songs to the pump-your-fist-in-the-air side of the spectrum. You'll find yourself singing along to songs you've heard for the first time. Neil Hanson an energetic and compelling front man has what it takes to entertain and grab your attention while playing his soul out to entertain you. The harmonies of each song are complimented by, "Prata" who is also the Bassist. His harmonies bring out the emotions in songs such as, "Everytime We Say Goodbye", and �My Only Love�. The drummer, "Kika", keeps the rhythm alive with his experience and passion. After you've seen them live once, there's no doubt you'd want to see them again, and again..............