I was a Lover Delorean was a dealer
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I was a Lover Delorean was a dealer

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"I was a lover Delorean was a dealer"

Layers of synth and “You Belong To The City” sax hooks, angular guitar stabs dipped in reverb, plus a singer that yelps like David Bowie at his most tweaked: Despite an obvious formula for more ersatz ’80s à la The Killers, California’s awesomely named I Was A Lover DeLorean Was A Dealer falls just slightly shy of new-new-wave mawkishness thanks to its willingness to be deliberately abrasive. Post-hardcore furor and a twisted sense of song structure cribbed from Modest Mouse keep things from getting too rotely retro on the new Strong Drink Is Raging—as does the fact that it’s impossible to make heads or tails of what singer Christopher Bykowski is spazzing out about on songs like “The Amaretto Was Poisoned.” - AV Austin


"Sounds Like: Modest Mouse slept with David Bowie, but there was a secret affair with Joy Division"

      Amongst a smoking amplifier and the remnants of a shattered synth-organ, I was a Lover DeLorean was a Dealer walks off the stage. It is no surprise that I was a Lover ends their show in destruction. After all, most of their music comes from jam sessions turned to fights. Yet, from those fights comes a rich and unique fusion of progressive and experimental rock. The Ventura, CA based band creates a layered combination of alternative and electric rock with heavy synthesizers that take the listener to an intergalactic alternate reality. Lead singer Chris Bykowski has a voice that sounds reminiscent of Modest Mouse’s lead singer Isaac Brock, and perhaps a little like Brandon Flowers, lead singer of The Killers. Bykowski’s voice alone gives the music an aggressive, yet dreamy feel.


      
 
 
 
 
 
There are times, such as during the song, “Chop em at the hands” where the synth takes a back seat to a guitar riff you might swear was played by U2’s “The Edge.” In other songs like “headandtail light” heavy drums overpower a synthesized guitar. The variety that I was a Lover creates doesn’t necessarily make them appealing to a varied audience; you need to want to experience their rhythmic music to really enjoy it.
      When founding the band in 2004, Bykowski succeeded in creating a catchy band name that makes little sense (though John DeLorean, creator of the DeLorean car, was arrested in 1982 on drug trafficking charges). Bykowski and his band members are working on their first studio album to be published later this year or early next year. In 2007 they released their first EP which was recorded in eight hours. So, if you are into Modest Mouse or The Killers but don’t mind not knowing what the singer is talking about, (if you can figure it out, please let me know) then check out this experimental electric indie band.  
- JERK


"I was a lover Delorean was a dealer"

Random acts of creativity
It conjures images of sleazy Malibu, circa 1975. Hairy chests, expensive cars, white slacks and cocaine. Celebrities mingling with low-life dealers. Hedonism in paradise. But truth is, the name I Was a Lover, DeLorean Was a Dealer is “totally meaningless,” according to band founder Chris Bykowski. People always ask the origin of the name, but it’s nothing more than a catchy phrase. “I liked the image it put in my head,” says Bykowski, who had never even heard of John DeLorean, the automotive engineer who was famously acquitted of drug trafficking charges in the early 1980s. The title for the band’s new CD Strong Drink Is Raging was also the result of Bykowski’s random creative process. Having finished off a couple bottles of wine, Bykowski picked up a Bible from a bookshelf. He’d never really read the book so, curiously, he opened it to any page and entered into one of those defining, serendipitous moments that seem to punctuate the life of the artist. What he stumbled upon was the wisdom of Solomon from Proverbs 20:1: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging and whosoever is deceived, thereby is not wise.”

Word to the haters
Taste, by definition, is subjective and therefore cannot be qualified, yet there are those who would argue that it is possible to distinguish between good and bad art. Despite the uneventful birth of I Was a Lover, DeLorean Was a Dealer’s name, the drama it evokes is fitting for a band that has suffered the slings and arrows of its detractors. Mention them and you’re bound to get an impassioned response — people seem to love ’em or hate ’em. Bykowski’s rantings on Craigslist haven’t exactly won the band fans, but negative reaction to the band’s music may be more about geography than anything. “In my opinion, lots of people don’t like it because we live in a beach town,” says Bykowski. “If it’s not punk rock or pop music, then nobody wants anything to do with it.” I Was a Lover, DeLorean Was a Dealer is indeed neither of those, though the subtle influence of both is not completely absent from the record. “I’m not gonna punch someone in the face if they say my band sucks,” says Bykowski, “but I’ll argue with them. When it comes down to it, it’s a matter of taste. There’s a line between good and bad music, but I could never explain it.”

Roads less traveled
The word that arises most in attempting to describe the music of I Was a Lover, DeLorean Was a Dealer is the one that also least defines it: experimental. The band’s MySpace profile is full of phrases such as “structurally straightforward, yet unavoidably complex,” and “dreamy oscillation between post-rock pressure and indie-rock dance appeal.” It could also be dubbed manic, surreal, apocalyptic, artistic and, at times, oddly romantic. Lyrically, themes of the darker side of human nature run rampant with occasional references to the sea — a product of Bykowski’s time served in the military — and one lone love song that he wrote for his girlfriend. Released this week on Sweet Debauchery, his new label, Strong Drink Is Raging was produced by Jon Debaun, who also produced Franklin for Short but is best known for his work with the Mars Volta. The band has gone through its share of personnel changes but is now maintaining a solid lineup with Patrick Crowley on bass, Dario Slavazza on keyboards and saxophone, Kyle Garcia on drums and Bykowski on guitar and vocals. I Was a Lover, DeLorean Was a Dealer is set to leave Ventura for a regional southwestern U.S. tour that begins with their CD release show at Spaceland in Los Angeles, on Thursday, Aug. 13. For more information visit www.myspace.com/ iwasaloverband or www.myspace.com/ sweetdebaucheryrecords. - VC Reporter


"I was a lover Delorean was a dealer"

It is perhaps a sound one wouldn’t expect from a sunny southern California beach town: Gloom. I Was a Lover DeLorean Was a Dealer isn’t gloomy in the sense of being overtly heavy or even being in the hardcore circuit at all. This sound, a reverb-dunked, taut and eerie indie rock sound that purposely avoids the cliches the group could easily fall into, is experimental only to a point. Fans need not worry of being alienated or scared off. As one newspaper summed up, this Ventura quartet is “Eccentric but familiar, enigmatic yet accessible,” (VC Reporter, 2/12/09).

I Was a Lover has managed to find its spot in southern California, completing its full-length debut album, Strong Drink is Raging, on the eve of a trip across the country.

Pieced together in 2005 in Ventura, the group played through several incarnations but remained focused on its vision: playing what it loved best about independent music but avoiding pre-cut paths that previous bands had set before. In 2009, the group began to find its direction by avoiding the doubling of instruments — instead layering guitar, saxophone, organs, pianos and an upfront rhythm, each falling into its own sonic channel behind singer Christopher Bykowski’s trouble-stirring and haunted vocals. On stage, the group also presents itself in the visual sense, preferring to stray away from the obligatory indie-rock attire and present the unexpected along with its manic stage presence - Spaceland


"Delorean band ready to step on the gas"

Jim Salzer knows a thing or two about promoting rock 'n' roll shows. He was to blame for a lot of great shows with legendary rock stars from those silly '60s, many held at the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara. He still sells the psychedelic concert posters, although to decipher them, you'll need medication. Salzer is promoting a more convenient gig to celebrate nationwide Record Store Day on Saturday: an all-day parking lot festival at his self-named music store in Ventura.

Many of the musicians at this first Salzerpalooza work at Salzer's, and several others work a few blocks away at Trader Joe's, the day jobs of choice for many who entertain us with their night moves. A band with a long, strange name will be part of this event, I Was a Lover DeLorean Was a Dealer.

Whether anyone in the band can afford one of those expensive cars is debatable, but the group has been playing locally with regularity, surviving numerous dive bar gigs and ready to take the next step, including this weekend's gig and a date at the Red Cove the following Friday.

Frontman and guitar player Chris Bykowski discussed the latest during an e-mail exchange.

What's new with the band?

We are working on a full-length album, writing a lot of new songs and getting ready to record this summer. Also, we're going on tour in late August.

Where'd you get the weird name?

We wanted a name that was catchy to the eye and ear and didn't have the word 'The" at the beginning. It needed to stand out, like the music. Plus, it puts a great image in your mind when you say and think about it. It's pretty classic, I think. Later I was educated on how John D. was busted on some drug charges, which made the name make even more sense. (Editor's note: In 1984 a jury acquitted DeLorean of the charges in federal court after he defended himself by arguing that police had set him up.)

Would DeLorean have worn a band shirt, and can you afford one of his cars?

I don't really know if John D. would wear one of our shirts. I probably couldn't afford one of his cars, but it would be great to get a band photo with us around one.

What's your take on your last release?

Our first EP was good, considering we recorded it in eight hours. It doesn't do us any justice compared to our live sound. We will most definitely get it right on the full-length album. I think we could have recorded it in a Dumpster and it would sound better than most of these emo bands out there, though.

What does the band sound like?

I think the band sounds like a lot of our influences combined into one band — David Bowie, Frog Eyes, Fugazi, Modest Mouse, At the Drive-in and the Chameleons. I don't think you can totally pinpoint what we sound like, but there are similarities. I've heard my voice sounds like David Byrne, David Bowie, Isaac Brock, Spencer Krug, Carey Mercer, Ian Curtis, etc. Whatever makes you happy.

The band has survived the local dive bar tour. Any stories you can repeat in a family newspaper?

Dive bars seem to have the best crowds at times. I don't have too many good stories, but one guy a couple weeks ago said that we sounded like the Ramones. This guy had to be hammered. I would have told him to shut his mouth with such blasphemy, but he probably would have murdered me.

In addition to homicidal maniacs, who goes to check out the band?

Lots of random people who come to see our band say they heard about us from a friend. That's cool, so I guess we are doing something right. We have a lot of friends that show support, and people with good taste.

How does a band make it in Ventura?

I don't know. Ventura has pretty much no music scene. People like to think it does, but that's just people who have never witnessed a real music scene. The key is to win over L.A., then you're golden. It's like the hardest city in the U.S. to win over though. Nobody really cares about music in L.A., unlike other major cities. It's too desensitized to everything. That's what one of our songs, "Chop Them at the Hands," is kind of about.

What does the local scene need then?

More creative bands, for one. That's what a scene is all about — creating a revolution with music — not duplicating the same ol' dead style over and over. I'll shoot myself if I end up like that. Experimentation never hurt. I think Ventura needs to get some all-ages venues that serve alcohol, too. You can't have a music scene without both 21-plus and underage people interacting in a musical environment. Ventura should open up to some new ideas and laws on that sort of thing. It's funny how Ventura likes to try to make art part of the city's attraction, but there is no music scene.

What's your take on this parking lot wingding?

Salzerpalooza? I don't really know exactly what it's about, but I think it will be fun. It's a very good idea, and I think if it's a success, they should do it every month.

Does every musician in town work at Salzer's or Trader Joe's?

No, I do - VC Star


Discography

my window- 2007
strong drink is raging -2009

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Bio

Somewhere between rock music and art music emerges a sound obscure and experimental, yet familiar and melodic- this band displays a sound that most listeners can enjoy. The Ventura, CA based band creates a layered combination of alternative and electric rock with heavy synthesizers, squealing saxophone and dreamy guitars that take the listener to an intergalactic alternate reality. Lead singer Chris Bykowski has a voice that sounds reminiscent of Modest Mouse’s lead singer Isaac Brock, and perhaps a little like Brandon Flowers, lead singer of The Killers. Bykowski’s voice alone gives the music an aggressive, yet dreamy feel.
When founding the band in 2004, Bykowski succeeded in creating a catchy band name that makes little sense (though John DeLorean, creator of the DeLorean car, was arrested in 1982 on drug trafficking charges). Three line-up changes in the life of the band have never once brought the project to a halt and the newest line-up is the most cohesive yet. The band members are working on their first full length album “strong drink is raging” to be released in the summer of 2009. In 2007 they released their first EP “my window” which was recorded in eight hours. So, if you are into anything from Modest Mouse to Interpol or more experimental music but don’t mind not knowing what the singer is talking about, (if you can figure it out, please let me know) then check out this experimental electric indie band.