Black Dawn is 4 musicians, a faithful
road manager, a growing legion of fans (ranging from rowdy
adolescents to toothless old men and women), a respect and
appreciation for the sound of silence, and a suitcase full of
aggressive and passionate hard-edged music. "Black Dawn is
following in the footsteps of the few, the proud and the heavy..."
(Musicians' Exchange)
ENZO: "Our music appeals
to a large age group, one night we were playing a show and we had
just finished a song and this deranged old man got up on stage and
started dancing. He had three teeth missing and had his underwear
hanging out of his pants. He liked us so much that he took his
money out and starting handing it out to everyone in the
band..."
MATT: "And then there was
the time we played at that dive in Queens and that fat old lady
with the fur coat and no teeth started bumping and grinding to the
music. We kind of appeal to everyone, young and old..."
The original incarnation of Black Dawn was
created in 1992 when Tom Kelly hooked up with a local Long Island
bass player. Originally intending to have the band as a hobby, over
the years it has evolved into a very serious affair.
TOM: "I hate to use the
word 'hobby' to describe what I do with the band because that puts
it in the same category as stamp collecting and building models.
This is so much more than just a hobby. It's a way of life..."
"Black Dawn has been labeled 'New York's
Hardest Alternative Rock Band'. But f*ck that. They're not
alternative. They're metal. The way it's supposed to be..."
(Backwash Zine)
Black Dawn's CD's "Absence of Time" and
"Live at CBGBs" charted on dozens of college alternative and loud-
rock radio stations throughout the Northeast and earned the band a
folder full of praise. Their most recent effort, "Age of Reason",
is further testimony to the band's uncompromising passion for
metal.
The band strives to stay fresh and vibrant
in a genre that is muddy and dark; aims to be positive amidst
lyrics that are manic, frustrated and angry; breathes new life into
a musical style that is often over saturated by stale, "been there,
done that" local bands. Much of this originality can be attributed
to principle songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Matt Kotten. Although
the music he writes is heavy and angry-sounding, his lyrics are
passionate and emotional. This contradiction gives the music a fresh
twist and sets the band apart from other bands in the genre. In
addition, Matt feels that the music benefits from the strong
connection the band members have to each other.
MATT: "We really know how
to work well with each other. I write the music and lyrics, but
I'll also really get inspired by [drummer] Enzo - the way he plays.
I totally vibe from that. And the other members will add their
input in arranging once the songs are done."
"These disturbed hardcore rock dynamos
bring new meaning to soul music...as in 'my soul has been possessed
by music'... Their passion for these satanic symphonies has helped
them emerge as one of the best bands of its kind on Long Island and
resurrected that kick-ass type of music we call unadulterated heavy
metal..." (Long Island Entertainment)
PETE: "How do the fans
react? Hopefully, they leave a show bloody and beaten but totally
fulfilled..."
The members of Black Dawn stay honest by
being true to them and true to the music, and after years together,
they know how to make the band machine work smoothly. Besides their
obvious musical roles, they also have their unspoken roles within
the band: Matt is the sensitive one - he brings the aggression into
the songs. Tom is the serious one -- he brings stability and helps
keep the music together. Enzo is the crazy one - he adds the power
behind it all. James is the cool, collected one - he brings the
soul into the music.
JAMES: "The most important
thing is that you never settle on just trying to please an audience
by playing what you think they want to hear and see. If something
is bothering you about what you're playing, then change it. If
something is still bothering you after that, then don't play. Maybe
complete silence is the sound you are searching for to complete that
masterpiece..." |
