Cheak Hong Ian
They just started jamming together 2 years back. But they’re now touring the world and performing to crowds of more than 60,000.
Sounds like any rookie band’s dream?
Sweet Dreams Are Made Out Of These
Well, Canadian Indie band Dearest are living that dream, and, in the opinion of the band’s vocalist and guitarist Andre Palmieri, this seemingly overnight success doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
“If a band is growing ‘too’ fast, that tells you something about them – usually, they have their s*** together, or luck. Or both,” he tells UrbanWire in an email interview.
“Most of us have a ton of experience in the studio and touring so when we formed we knew what to do and what not to do,” Dre, as he is affectionately known to both fellow band members and fans alike, adds.
Dre tells us of how drummer Miles Gibson and himself used to play in several other bands for 3 years before they formed Dearest. These bands broke up because some members weren’t committed.
“Seeing as the last few bands Miles and I formed fell apart, this time we were much more careful in choosing the members,” Dre says.
Thankfully, they managed to recruit guitarist Sasha Szlafarski and bassist Randie Van Gorp, who responded to some Internet advertisements that they placed.
“At the end of it, everyone put the band at the top of their priority list,” he says with relief.
Well, Dearest, which is named after the Etta Jones song “My Dearest Darling” , hasn’t looked back since. They’ve played all over Asia and Canada and even recorded a 5-song demo CD that has made American, European and Asian record labels sit up and take notice.
This year, they are visiting 5 Asian countries in 5 weeks, stopping by Singapore for their gig on the 1st day of SINGfest ’08.
“We work hard for everything we accomplish. The more buzz and success we create, the more it makes us want to work even harder,” says a very motivated Dre.
Music Dear To Their Hearts
Dearest’s MySpace page states that they play a range of Rock, Indie and New Wave music. But what exactly is their style of music?
Dre can’t quite classify Dearest’s music under a single genre either.
“I guess we play pop, rock, and new wave all at the same time?” he ventures.
“We play the music that we love and we try to build a strong connection with a lot of people that share the same feelings about good music. We aim to put on a pleasing show with crafted songs and just share the same vibe we have within the 4 of us,” Dre adds.
This vibe that the band shares is probably due to the band members’ similar backgrounds, growing up in Ontario, Canada and even listening to the same records as young boys. In fact, the bandmates share similar views on many issues too.
“The members of the band are very close friends and get along great – we all have great chemistry between each other and we love what we do,” Dre gushes.
“The songs help too!” he adds as an afterthought.
Dre cites life experiences, raw emotion and “sometimes, just the feel of the song itself” as the inspiration behind Dearest’s lyrics.
“Sometimes it’s easier to write what you are feeling in a song rather then to say it out loud,” he observes.
Coming Soon
Well, at the moment, the band is preparing for their upcoming tour and playing some shows in Canada to get warmed up for Asia. So you can be assured that Dearest will be all pumped up and ready to rock Fort Canning Park come Aug 2!
“We are very eager to come and rock SINGfest!” Dre gushes, adding that the band only missed Singapore for SINGfest 07 because they were on tour at that time last year, but are “very excited and honoured” to play here this year.
Dre promises “a huge party with lots of energy, sweat and maybe a little blood if you’re lucky” when Dearest ascend the stage during SINGfest 08.
So come prepared to leave your crappy week at work behind, let your hair down and party the weekend away.
Who knows? 2 years down the road, you and your mates might just be the ones performing on that very stage!
Dearest will be performing on Day 1 (Aug 2) of SINGfest 08.
SINGfest 08 tickets bought before the Aug 2 will cost $150 for the 1st day pass, $200 for the 2nd day pass, and $300 for the weekender pass.
Tickets at door will cost $200 for the 1st day pass, $250 for the 2nd day, and $350 for weekender pass purchased on the first day.
Get your tickets from SISTIC now! Prices stated exclude SISTIC charges.
This article is part of UrbanWire’s SINGfest 08 Special Features.