Despite the Lion

Despite the Lion
Cincinnati • Alt/Pop/Rock
Despite the Lion’s tale is in its early stages, beginning innocently enough with two Cincinnati area musicians who, growing sick of only finding Rock Star wannabes to play with, took a step back and found likeminded souls that wanted to make music purely for the love of making music. Irony of ironies — they ended up with a catchy sound (with imaginative textures, echoing guitars and the artistic maturity to allow the songs lots of space to breathe) that might just make them the Rock Stars those other dudes wanted so desperately to be. But they’ll have done it on their own terms. The band members’ passion is evident in every note they play.
Dig It: Thrice, Eisley, Copeland, Mae. (MB) - City Beat

With a lot of new, unsigned bands out there, it's hard to find one that's truly talented, promising, and unique. Sometimes it's exasperating; it's tough if you're looking for something new and refreshing. That's why a band like Despite The Lion is such a relief for us music fans.

A rock/indie band based in Cincinnati, Despite The Lion features Derrick Dean on vocals and guitar, Bill White on guitar and vocals, Mark Abrams on bass, and Ben Oliver on drums.

DTL formed when Bill and Ben's previous band broke up. The two had been playing in bands for years and quickly started looking for new members. Ben brought in his friend Mark to play bass, while Derrick was a random - but lucky - find on MySpace.

It's hard to believe that these guys are unsigned. Their sound is already impeccable; you can tell just by listening that these are some talented individuals, and that they work very well together. Their songs are compelling, featuring beautiful lyrics, great melodies, powerful vocals, and awesome drums.

What really makes DTL stand out is their ability to write music that's beautiful, unique, and catchy. So often, bands sacrifice originality and meaning for a catchier tune.

"Our biggest goal as band, simply put, would have to be to write and play music that not only we can connect to, but everyone that hears it can connect to in some way or another," says Derrick. "Yeah, we want the whole get signed, make it big aspect of the business too...But we'd much rather just be successful in general while being honest to who we are as musicians, while trying to break our own boundaries as much as possible."

DTL has upcoming shows at the Play By Play Cafe (March 6th) and Highland County Fairgrounds (March 20th), so be sure to go check them out. You can give them a listen online here: http://www.myspace.com/despitethelion, or watch the video below.
- Cincinnati Examiner