Depswa Distorted American Dream

Depswa Jeremy Penick - Guitars and Vocals Ryan Burchfield - Bass and Back-up Vocals Dan Noonan - Guitars and Back-up Vocals Steve White - Drums and Back-up Vocals Originally collaborating in the progressive hard rock/metal band Carcinogen, Vocalist/Guitarist Jeremy Penick and bassist Ryan Burchfield discovered early success in Northern California's Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area. With 2 EP's under their belt and a growing fan base, they decided that moving to Los Angeles would provide the mainstream exposure that they needed. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, the bandmates recruited long-time friend, Dan Noonan to join them as their second guitarist. Dan Noonan was also a Northern Californian native whom had already established a place within the Hollywood music scene by playing guitar for several popular bands including early incarnations of Static-X and Spineshank. Noonan states, "Joining up with Carcinogen was seamless. We were all close friends and on the same page. Everything came together very effortlessly." Eventually, the music began to evolve from the hyper-aggressive metal style that Carcinogen had pioneered to a more diverse, melodic, and mature collaboration. Their new direction was much more open-minded and drew not only from their metal roots, but from many other genres and influences. The transformation was a natural progression. The result was a fresh and innovative sound that showcased their powerful music and the incomparable voice of Jeremy Penick. With the change in musical direction, it was evident that the name of the band should also change. They were ready to step away from the metal stigmas that a name like Carcinogen represented, and adopt one that would not allow them to be pigeonholed as just another metal band. They had much, much, more to offer. "Depswa" was derived from a Swahili word meaning 'deep behind the moon." In the Amazon rainforests of South America, it is a term for the "Medicine Man" or "Tribal Healer." The new moniker reflected the band's desire to produce music that was driven by emotion and would have a profound and meaningful impact on their audience. In early 2000, Depswa unveiled their infamous "Faithless" EP, which elicited critical acclaim from many online webzines (i.e. "Band of the Month" on theprp.com, featured on both GarageBand.com and thegauntlet.com among others). The music world was beginning to take notice in Depswa and they were being catapulted into a new realm of musical existence. The "buzz" they were receiving enabled the band to tour throughout California, Nevada and Arizona. In Los Angeles, they frequently played sold-out shows at clubs such as The Whisky A Go Go, The Roxy, Viper Room, and Troubadour. With every show the band continued to increase their already substantial loyal following. In 2001, Depswa's unique sound garnered the attention of several major music labels and they were eventually signed to Geffen Records by Geffen president Jordan Schur. For their major label debut, Depswa hired producer Howard Benson (P.O.D., Papa Roach, My Chemical Romance, Three Days Grace) and veteran mixing engineer Chris Lord-Alge. The team fashioned Depswa's debut CD "Two Angels and a Dream." The album featured innovative songwriting, intricate melodies, dynamically explosive music and emotionally driven vocals. After completing the recording process for their debut album, the band began to tour extensively. Throughout 2002-2003, Depswa completed several national tours in support of Evanescence, Chevelle, Mudvayne, Cold, Trust Company, etc. Depswa's single "This Time" was featured on Coca-Cola's heavily-aired "New Music" campaign on radio stations nationwide. Concurrently, in a few radio markets (Sacramento, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, etc.), "This Time" frequently received the largest numbers of phone requests each day surpassing bands such as Staind, Evanescence, and Cold amongst others. In addition, Depswa were frequently played on XM radio's Squizz and Sirius Radio's "Hard Attack." The songs "This Time" and "From the Inside" were featured on several prominent