DYS (band)

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DYS
Origin Boston, United States
Genres Straight edge hardcore, heavy metal
Years active 1980s, 2010-present
Labels Bridge 9
Associated acts Dag Nasty, ALL, Down By Law, Slapshot, Scream
Website www.facebook.com/dysboston
Members Dave Smalley
Jonathan Anastas
Franz Stahl
Al Pahanish Jr.
Adam Porris
Past members Andy Strachan
Ross Luongo
Dave Collins
Chris Foley
Bobby Frankenheim
Jack Clark

DYS is an American straight edge hardcore band from Boston, Massachusetts who were part of the notorious "Boston Crew" in the 1980s, along with contemporaries such as SSD and Negative FX. The group later expanded their sound, becoming one of the first hardcore bands to veer into heavy metal.

Original Band History

The band initially released two albums: Brotherhood, produced by legendary punk producer Lou Giordano – a record still held in high regard by fans of hardcore music, which sells for more than $150 a copy on eBay, and DYS, an album that took more of a metal direction than their debut. DYS is considered by many to be one of the first crossover thrash albums released and explored modern 24 track recording techniques, digital effects as well as de-tuning, multi-part, multi-tempoed songs and other alternative metal influences heard later on other period records like Metallica’s Kill’em All and the Cro-Mag’s Age of Quarrel." During their later rock/metal period, live sound was handled by noted hard rock producer Andrew Murdock, who works under the professional name "Mudrock."

Both albums have been re-issued together on CD and in digital formats by Taang! Records (titled Fire and Ice), and Brotherhood has also been reissued on CD and on iTunes in early 2005 by Taang! Records with the addition of the Wolfpack demo tape, featuring Hüsker Dü singing back-up vocals. In 2012, Taang! re-released a vinyl-only version of "Brotherhood" in a limited edition of 1,000, with 500 in red and 500 in 180 gram.

DYS took its name from the Department of Youth Services, a Massachusetts governmental organization where delinquent youth were housed as well as the Alice Cooper song "Department of Youth."

Reunion

On August 29, 2010 DYS headlined their first reunion show - and movie shoot - in front of over 1,000 fans along with fellow Boston hardcore punk pioneers Jerry's Kids, Gang Green and The F.U.'s, as well as New York City’s Antidote. The show included a shoot for the movie xxx ALL AGES xxx, a documentary about the hardcore punk scene in Boston in the early 1980s, produced by Gallery East in association with Stone Films NYC.[1] The film was released in 2012 after its debut at the Boston Independent Film Festival.

The initial reunion line-up of DYS featured additional guitar player Bobby Frankenheim (ex-Death Wish) and new drummer Jack Clark of Jerry's Kids, Unnatural Axe and Cheetah Chrome's solo band.

Since that first show, DYS co-founders Dave Smalley and Jonathan Anastas have recruited ex-Foo Fighters and current Scream (band) guitar player Franz Stahl, ex-Powerman 5000 drummer Al Pahanish Jr. and guitar player Adam Porris (ex-Far From Finished).

DYS has since played US shows at the House of Blues, Boston, MA, in support of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' 13th annual Hometown Throwdown in 2010 and at the same venue in support of the 2012 Dropkick Murphy's St. Patrick's Day stand, in NYC at Webster Hall (formally the Ritz, where they had played in their previous incarnation) for the 2102 Black n' Blue Bowl, the 2012 SXSW Festival, Miami, Orange County, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Phili, the Sound & Fury Festival in Santa Barbara, Rumble Fest in Chicago and the legendary Gilman in Berkley CA. The band has also announced several shows in Norway and Sweden, Toronto, Denver, Atlanta, Seattle, and appeared at the 2012 Groezrock festival in Belgium as part of an April/May 2012 European Tour.

On June 23, 2011, the band and their new label - Bridge 9 - announced the August 9th release of "More than Fashion: LIVE from the Gallery East Reunion" on vinyl and Digital formats.

The band has also completed 2011 and 2012 recording sessions with their old sound man (and now producer of note) Andrew "Mudrock" Murdock in Los Angeles. Recordings from these sessions are being released as Digital singles from Fall 2011 through Fall 2012, the first being "Wild Card," released 11.8.2011, followed by "Sound of our Town" featuring Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones on guest vocals, released December 13, 2011, "Unloaded" released on 1.24.2012, a cover of Motorhead's "Road Crew" in February of 2012, a re-make of "Brotherhood" (Brotherhood 2012) in July 2012 and a new single - "True Believers" in October of 2012.

Where are they now

Guitarist Andy Strachan later co-founded the more rock-focused band Slaughter Shack. Slaughter Shack went on to win the Boston musical contest the "Rumble." After leaving music, Strachan has since converted to Sikhism. His new name is Mahan Atma Singh Khalsa, and he is active as an influential Kundalini yoga teacher in Amritsar, India.

Added lead guitarist Ross Luongo played in the re-formed line-up of Jerry's Kids and started his musical career in Impact Unit, Mighty Mighty Bosstones' front man Dicky Barrett's first band. He is an executive at the Reebok corporation.

Co-founder and singer Dave Smalley went on to sing for Dag Nasty, ALL and Down By Law before founding the Jam-influenced band The Sharpshooters. Dave is a noted newspaper editor.

Co-founder and bassist Jonathan Anastas became a founding member of Slapshot, writing, recording and touring behind their debut album "Back on the Map." Prior to starting DYS, he also founded the short-lived band Decadence. Their song "Slam" was documented on the legendary "This Is Boston, Not LA" compilation, and later adopted for a long-running MTV advertising campaign titled "Santa, the Man, the Myth, the Slam Dancer." Anastas initially left the music business for college, followed by a career in advertising and marketing.

Discography

  • 1983 – DYS "Brotherhood" on XClaim! Records
  • 1984 – DYS "DYS" on Modern Method Records
  • 1993 – Various Artists "Faster and Louder, Volume Two" (Contributed the track "Wolfpack" which was the band's unreleased first demo tape and a live favorite)
  • 1993 – DYS "Fire and Ice" (first two albums combined on CD) on Taang! Records
  • 2005 – DYS "Wolfpack" – "Brotherhood" re-released with the addition of the band's original Wolfpack radio demo featuring Hüsker Dü on back-up vocals, on Taang! Records
  • 2011 – DYS "More than Fashion: LIVE from the Gallery East Reunion" – live tracks from the "Gallery East Reunion" festival and "xxx All Ages xxx" movie shoot, on Bridge 9 Records
  • 2011 - DYS "Wild Card" - Single on Bridge 9 Records
  • 2011 - DYS "Sound of our Town" - Single on Bridge 9 Records, featuring Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
  • 2012 - DYS "Unloaded" - Single on Bridge 9 Records
  • 2012 - DYS "(We are) The Road Crew" - Single on Bridge 9 Records
  • 2012 - DYS "Brotherhood 2012" - Single on Bridge 9 Records
  • 2012 - DYS "True Believer" - Single on Bridge 9 Records
  • 2012 – DYS "Brotherhood" Vinyl-only re-release on Taang! Records (1,000 copies, limited edition, 500 red/500 180 gram)

References

Bibliography

External links

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