Seven Dials

Seven Dials is an alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington that formed in the summer of 2011. The band is composed of siblings Mia Natas (born 7.1.1997 in Misawa, Japan; lead vocals, guitar), Darius Natas (born 6.5.1998 in Misawa, Japan; bass, backing vocals) and Damien Natas (born 4.18.2003 at a classified location; drums, piano) The group is named after the West London area of Seven Dials (not to be confused with "The Seven Dials Band" which sings classic Victorian music.) Their father is from the United Kingdom, and their mother is from the United States.

The band's lyrics are heavily influenced by the poetry of their father, Edgar Allen Poe, Monty Python skits, and The Far Side comics. Musically, Seven Dials are inspired by Jimi Hendrix, early Rolling Stones, late Beatles, The Cure, Tool, and My Bloody Valentine. Their musical style is often described as Mazzy Star meets Mogwai. Their bass guitar lines are often used as center as well as the focus of much of their sound, which can be attributed to Darius Natas being a fan of Justin Chancellor, the bass player for the band, Tool. Mia Natas's vocal style can ranges between a Harriett Wheeler (The Sundays) with a bit of Natalie Merchant whim. The band's youngest member, Damien Natas is heavily inspired by drummer Seven Antonopoulos.

The siblings began writing songs in the early summer of 2011. However at the time, Mia was playing the violin and did not sing, and Darius was playing the sax. Writing music for these instruments together proved frustrating to arrange, therefore their father suggested the trio switch to guitar and bass respectively. So in June, 2011, Seven Dials began writing songs for fun. Their first song, "From the Cradle to the Grave" could best described as a morbid lullaby, with Mia mainly using guitar scales and singing in falsetto. Their style took an abrupt turn with the song, "Darius in the Abyss", which bass line anchored the emotion of the song. In early July, the trio wrote the high spirited "iFly" and their revolutionary anthem, "One Love". After posting videos for iFly and One Love on Youtube (shot and recorded using their laptop in their bedroom), the songs caught the attention the venue, The Vera Project, who booked their first show. In preparation for the show, Darius and Damien wrote a drum and bass melody called, "Loss", which lasts over eight minutes, and collectively wrote the song "Liz Stride", a parable type anthem comparing humanities stewardship of the earth to the murder of Liz Stride by Jack the Ripper.

Since then, Seven Dials have written over 20 original songs usually contain social or psychological themes, including "Pine and 3rd" (about the homeless in Seattle), "People are Evil' (about how humans have been treating each other) , and the instrumental "Redemption". They have played various gigs around the area, including the Opening Day for the Next 50 at the Seattle Center,The Northwest Lovefest Music Festival, and the Vera Project.

"We're not just putting out music there just because technology now allows us. We respect music as an art, and we approach the process of making it seriously, with creative freedom and a conscious delicacy." -Mia Natas