For those who get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside when they find new awesome music to pleasure their ear pussies with, you should take some time to check out Los Angeles’ Dylan Furr band. This progressive metal unit, with lead guitarist Dylan Furr (creative mastermind extraordinaire), meshes together a melodic and flowing guitar based sound; mixed in with some crunchy-as-fuck grooves that all blend together to form something exciting. The group is also well versed in creating work with intriguing concepts and stories. Luckily for me, I was able to conduct a short interview with the band.
B= Bradley Dern (Myself) D= Dylan Furr (Lead Guitar) M= Max Lobetta (Drummer) S= Sean O’Brien (2nd Guitar) J= Jake Perez (Bass) WB= Whole Band
B: So how would you describe your sound?
M: We consider our sound to be a mix of progressive metal & fusion with plenty of power & technicality, fused with groove, melody & just enough shredding.
B: What is your writing process? How does the music come together for Dylan Furr?
D: Yeah, I write my stuff through hearing it in my head then bringing it to life and/or trying to convey the emotion or sound of a scene in my head to fit the story.
M: But once Dylan writes all of the parts, he presents the material and we critique/add to what’s been created.
D: Then we just put our twists on our parts after playing them together, as well as alone, for a bit & apply these to recordings; however, in live situations improvisation proudly plays a big role in our sound/feel.
B: What are the major musical influences that inspire your writing?
WB: Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Mikael Akerfeldt, Tosin Abasi, Guthrie Govan, Adam Jones, Danny Carey, Tony Royster Jr, Carter Beauford, Victor Wooten, Evan Brewer, Jonas Renkse
B: Your latest release was "Nostalgia"; the album I believe is a concept album. Can you please describe the story the album is trying to tell?
WB: “Nostalgia” is an original concept album that is basically about a predetermined destiny between two souls, reoccurring in a never-ending sequence.
B: Are there any plans to add more musicians to the lineup in order to record another album or possibly go out on tour?
D: Yes we have added two men to the group in the last couple months! I would like to formally welcome Sean O'Brien to our 2nd guitarist spot after some rigorous tryouts and auditions.
M: And we have also more recently added Jake Perez to the group, playing 5 string bass!
B: If you could play your dream show, who else would be on the bill?
D: My line up would be Animals As Leaders, Periphery, Dylan Furr
M: Hmmmm….Devin Townsend, Animals As Leaders, Dylan Furr
S: I’d have to say Scale The Summit, Monuments, Dylan Furr
J: I think us with Opeth & CHON would be pretty sweet
B: Alright, time for some serious shit. Who would you fuck/marry/kill: Misha Mansoor, Mikael Åkerfeldt, and Jens Kidman
M: Definitely have a sword fight with Jens, take Misha to the chapel, and give Mikael the lovin’.
B: What does the future hold for the band?
WB: Looking to have some shows coming up soon & plans for another tour are in the works! We look forward to it & announce the dates as soon as we can!
As you can see from the video, these guys have got some major chops. Everyone definitely needs a good infusion of some progressive groove metal at some point during the day, so go check out Dylan Furr in the links below!
Again, Thanks to all of guys in Dylan Furr for taking the time to do this interview!
-Bradley D
