Die By Remote

They call themselves “alternative rock”, but that description may be a bit restrictive. The band Die By Remote was nothing but mind-blowing when they played at the Bovine Sex Club one warm weekend in June this year. Listening to this talented group of guys as they rocked the stage, I was completely taken away by the sounds of their instruments and their powerful lyrics. Most of the patrons were apparently there for a birthday party, but I personally was there just looking for something to take my mind off of the previous week. This show certainly did the trick!

The first thing that caught my attention and really made me start to listen was the singer’s voice. Their front man (Chris Dawe) has this fantastic range and a sort of throaty strength behind his voice that really makes listening to him (and the rest of the band) a treat. It also didn’t hurt that his band mates were equally incredible – Jason Hoddinott (“Hodd”) on guitar, Rob Melvin (“The Rev”) on bass and Shane Dellar on percussion all work very well together, and I found that their sound as a group is quite unlike most other music that is being produced these days. I found that it has real substance behind it, and many of their songs have meaning that is deeper than average. They are basically a rock group with songs that span from heavy guitar driven rock to emotional ballads. “The Rev” (the bassist) even came out with a solo act in the middle of their set, which was an amazing show of talent.

The members of the band themselves are from East York. They are a particularly friendly bunch, and were quite willing to sit down for a brief chat about their history as a group, where their inspirations mainly come from and where they see themselves going in the years to come.



Veronika: “When and why did you start playing together? How did you guys sort of get started together as a band?”

DBR: “We started playing together about a year ago, but had our first gig in January. I (Chris) started out as a singer/song writer working with a producer by myself at first. After I had a few songs written and produced, I started the search for a band. Hodd had been someone I’d known since high school, so it was easy when he wanted to join in. Rev answered an ad I had put out, and Deller was referred by my producer.”



Veronika: “From what I could tell, every member of the band is pretty equally talented and you all play very well together. Do you have any tips for other up and coming bands on how to develop that sort of synergy?”

DBR: “I think it’s about committing to your craft. Of course you need to practice together, but it’s also about doing your own practice on your own time. That way, when you come in the room to rehearse, that time can be used to work on the band synergy, not to practice your own part. It’s kind of like learning how to drive stick in a car. If you’re going on stage and have to think about what gear you’re in, then you’re not ready. It has to be second nature, that way you can concentrate on the show!”



Veronika: “Would you say that your music is modeled after the music of any other musicians that you admire? Who would you say are your top few influences?”

DBR: “I don’t know if I would say modeled, but there are definitely some influences in the songs of music that we listen too. 30 second to mars, Alice in Chains. David Gray…”



Veronika: “So where do you feel your music is heading next? What are your plans for the future?”

DBR: “The song writing will likely have more political themes mixed in with emotional ones. Like most bands, we hope to one day be able to do this for a living. We are actually looking for some management right now. We believe it’s just about getting in front of the right people at the right time.”



How true! This group was clearly in the right place at the right time when they started working together. In the few short months since beginning together as a group, they already have had quite a few shows booked and hopefully this is one group that we will see a lot more of in the near future! One extremely excellent honour that the guys just found out about as well, is that they are a top ten finalist in an EMI music contest… congratulations to the band on all their hard work!

My final question for the group was, any final words of advice for any other aspiring musicians who want to make it big? Their reply was nice and straightforward – Listen to bands you like, and then shape their influence into a sound that is all your own. Styles develop out of influences, but we’re not trying to re-invent the wheel. We’re just trying to build a really awesome rim for it!



Written by: Veronika W.

Edited by: L. Philip
- Mizrebelrecords.com

They call themselves “alternative rock”, but that description may be a bit restrictive. The band Die By Remote was nothing but mind-blowing when they played at the Bovine Sex Club one warm weekend in June this year. Listening to this talented group of guys as they rocked the stage, I was completely taken away by the sounds of their instruments and their powerful lyrics. Most of the patrons were apparently there for a birthday party, but I personally was there just looking for something to take my mind off of the previous week. This show certainly did the trick!

The first thing that caught my attention and really made me start to listen was the singer’s voice. Their front man (Chris Dawe) has this fantastic range and a sort of throaty strength behind his voice that really makes listening to him (and the rest of the band) a treat. It also didn’t hurt that his band mates were equally incredible – Jason Hoddinott (“Hodd”) on guitar, Rob Melvin (“The Rev”) on bass and Shane Dellar on percussion all work very well together, and I found that their sound as a group is quite unlike most other music that is being produced these days. I found that it has real substance behind it, and many of their songs have meaning that is deeper than average. They are basically a rock group with songs that span from heavy guitar driven rock to emotional ballads. “The Rev” (the bassist) even came out with a solo act in the middle of their set, which was an amazing show of talent.

The members of the band themselves are from East York. They are a particularly friendly bunch, and were quite willing to sit down for a brief chat about their history as a group, where their inspirations mainly come from and where they see themselves going in the years to come.



Veronika: “When and why did you start playing together? How did you guys sort of get started together as a band?”

DBR: “We started playing together about a year ago, but had our first gig in January. I (Chris) started out as a singer/song writer working with a producer by myself at first. After I had a few songs written and produced, I started the search for a band. Hodd had been someone I’d known since high school, so it was easy when he wanted to join in. Rev answered an ad I had put out, and Deller was referred by my producer.”



Veronika: “From what I could tell, every member of the band is pretty equally talented and you all play very well together. Do you have any tips for other up and coming bands on how to develop that sort of synergy?”

DBR: “I think it’s about committing to your craft. Of course you need to practice together, but it’s also about doing your own practice on your own time. That way, when you come in the room to rehearse, that time can be used to work on the band synergy, not to practice your own part. It’s kind of like learning how to drive stick in a car. If you’re going on stage and have to think about what gear you’re in, then you’re not ready. It has to be second nature, that way you can concentrate on the show!”



Veronika: “Would you say that your music is modeled after the music of any other musicians that you admire? Who would you say are your top few influences?”

DBR: “I don’t know if I would say modeled, but there are definitely some influences in the songs of music that we listen too. 30 second to mars, Alice in Chains. David Gray…”



Veronika: “So where do you feel your music is heading next? What are your plans for the future?”

DBR: “The song writing will likely have more political themes mixed in with emotional ones. Like most bands, we hope to one day be able to do this for a living. We are actually looking for some management right now. We believe it’s just about getting in front of the right people at the right time.”



How true! This group was clearly in the right place at the right time when they started working together. In the few short months since beginning together as a group, they already have had quite a few shows booked and hopefully this is one group that we will see a lot more of in the near future! One extremely excellent honour that the guys just found out about as well, is that they are a top ten finalist in an EMI music contest… congratulations to the band on all their hard work!

My final question for the group was, any final words of advice for any other aspiring musicians who want to make it big? Their reply was nice and straightforward – Listen to bands you like, and then shape their influence into a sound that is all your own. Styles develop out of influences, but we’re not trying to re-invent the wheel. We’re just trying to build a really awesome rim for it!



Written by: Veronika W.

Edited by: L. Philip
- Mizrebelrecords.com