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Q&A with Norfolk 'heavy alternative’ band derelikt red
By PATTY JENKINS, The Virginian-Pilot
© June 28, 2007
Derelikt red is a “heavy alternative” band, playing a mix of rock and metal.
The band’s roots go back to when Dan Pellegrino and Andrew Craft were friends in kindergarten. They eventually started a band and began playing shows at age 18. Josh “JB” Brown joined the pair last year, playing bass. Pellegrino contributes guitars and vocals, and Craft is the drummer.
“We started writing music,” Pellegrino said. “We had seven or eight songs and went through various bass players throughout the years before Josh joined the band.”
In 2004 they released an EP called “Songs of Hope and Despair.”
In May, the Norfolk band released “Question Your Whole Existence” with a CD release party at The NorVa.
Road trips include dates in North Carolina and Delaware, playing the “Awesomefest ” with the band Orin.
“We were under a carnival tent, and right in front of the stage was a Slip ’n Slide,” he said. derelikt red will be at The Half Shell in Virginia Beach for an over-18 show Saturday . Pellegrino, with help from his band mates, answered the questions.
Where does the band get its inspiration?
From day-to-day experiences of bands that we work with. It can range from an R&B group to death metal. Just seeing shows and checking out what works or doesn’t work with the bands is an inspiration. All of those experiences add up.
What’s the band’s worst performance memory?
Our first show at Cogan’s. I had too short of a cord, and it kept falling out. It was funny because when the cord would come out in midsong and make a horrible static sound, people would cheer. It helps to be playing songs nobody knows.
If signed to a record deal, how would you spend the advance?
I’d give my share to my parents, because I know I’d have to move back home. There’s no money in music, unless you really get lucky.
What’s one thing people should know about the band?
When you come to our show you get our lives. The end product is what we have poured blood, sweat and tears into. This is what we want to share with the world.
We take it seriously while having fun at the same time, and we think we accomplish that pretty well with every show.
Reach Patty Jenkins at (757) 446-2298 or patty.jenkins@pilotonline.com - The Virginian-Pilot
Discography
Songs of Hope and Despair (EP) 2004
Live from Norfuck (LP) 2006
Question Your Whole Existence (LP) 2007
Avarice, Question Your Whole Existence (Air Play)
Born Right, Question Your Whole Existence (Air Play)
Shadow of Self, Question Your Whole Existence (Air Play)
Elementary, Question Your Whole Existence (Air Play)
Solid Ground, Question Your Whole Existence (Air Play)
Don't Look Back, Songs of Hope and Despair (Air Play)
Photos
Bio
Derelikt Red is a three-piece band out of Norfolk, VA. While co-founders Andrew Craft (drums) and Dan Pellegrino (guitars/vocals) have played together since they were freshmen in high school, derelikt red, as it is now, with Josh “JB” Brown on bass guitar, has been playing together for a little over a year and a half. As you can tell by listening to derelikt red, the band is completely dedicated to its songwriting and has a true passion for its live shows.
The band has played throughout the Hampton Roads area, with four appearances at the Norva to its credit and while the band continues to look for more areas, in which to expand, derelikt red has covered areas as far north as Delaware and as far south as North Carolina. Following the release of the album Question Your Whole Existence on May 5th, 2007, the band has seen its record carried by five stores in the area and a national campaign underway.
The music is by far the most important thing for each member of the band. With a focus on simple, catchy songs, inspired by everything from early Metallica to U2, Derelikt Red has paved its own path with a highly energetic and intensely personal form of art. The songs are written with an almost minimalist approach, intended to engage the listener head on. While each member uses their individual skill to build their respective pieces to the puzzle, the end is not individual glory, but collective artistic transcendence. One can take this statement as an apparent heir of self-importance, but the essence of the band lies in the vitality of the song, not in any one person or part.
The stage is where everything is put to the test. Since Dan and Andrew have played so long together, they have an almost telepathic connection while performing and with Josh only in the band for 18 months, his ability to hold down the low end and give each song a strong foundation has been truly amazing. derelikt red fully understands that what you give as a band will more often than not; reflect what you get back from your audience. Each member lives and breathes each song and they want everyone from the front of the stage to the back wall to feel that same level of intensity. This aspect of the musical experience has come the most naturally and with that, the band hopes that when someone leaves a derelikt red show, they are a better person for it.
Following the do it yourself (DIY) ethic the band handles much of its own promotion and production needs. This effort starts with designing and hand silk screening all their own merchandise (merch). The band also takes great pride in handling its own production needs by manufacturing and maintaining its own back-line as well as stage performance equipment.
The future looks bright for derelikt red. After the CD release show, at the Norva, the album has continued to sell well and with more shows planned for the future; the band is writing new material and hopes to get back in the studio, in the spring of 2008 to record another record.
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