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Bio

As most fans will know, Alex Dezen has often referred to The Damnwells as a collective. As he wrote on his myspace blog back here:

The Damnwells has always been about my songs with extremely talented musicians and producers collaborating. The personnel have changed, but the essence—one of this week’s vocabulary words for the 7th graders I teach—remains the same.

So the question of, “Who are The Damnwells?” remains a difficult one to pin down with one set answer. However, for those of you who are after the cold, hard, dry facts:

The original members of the Damnwells were:

  • Alex Dezen – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Piano
  • David Chernis – Lead Guitar
  • Ted Hudson – Bass Guitar
  • Steven Terry (ex-Whiskeytown) – Drums

If you were to visit their Myspace page today, however, you would see that the band members are currently listed as:

Band Members

  • Alex Dezen ~ Vocals/Guitar
  • Ted Hudson ~ Bass
  • often with:
  • J Barclay ~ Guitar/Vocals
  • David Chernis ~ Guitar
  • Angela Dezen ~ Vocals
  • Adrian Dickey ~ Bass/Vocals
  • Cameron Hammon ~ Vocals
  • Matt “the” Hammon ~ Drums/Percussion
  • Dan Hickey ~ Drums/Percussion
  • Andrew Ratcliffe ~ Drums/Percussion
  • Julian “Big in the UK” Velard ~ Keyboards/Vocals/Vibe
  • Neal Ostrovsky ~ Drums/Percussion

What you need to know? The Damnwells, as a collective, have been making music since the turn of the century.

Still craving more information about the band? Then you might want to check out Chris Suchorsky’s excellent “Golden Days” documentary, which revolves around the trials and tribulations of the band. The below is an excerpt from the documentary site, detailing the story of “Golden Days”:

In 2001, a photo assistant named Alex Dezen asked a couple friends to record a few songs with him. Shortly thereafter they would form the Brooklyn based rock band THE DAMNWELLS. Two years later they had toured the country, opened for rock legends, and had a song featured in a major motion picture. By 2004, they had signed a major record deal with EPIC Records (Sony/BMG).

In March of 2005, THE DAMNWELLS went into the studio to record their first professional album. For six months, THE DAMNWELLS immersed themselves in preproduction, recording, and mixing. But as months passed, their release date was moved further and further away. In January of 2006, lead singer Alex Dezen received a call they never expected. The band was being released from their contract and the fate of the album was unknown. For the moment, it would sit on a shelf at EPIC Records and collect dust.

THE DAMNWELLS, who had previously recorded their albums in a storage space and their apartments, were not used to waiting. They had been in complete control of their music and their lives before they signed on the dotted line. Now, a year of their lives was sitting on a shelf waiting to be heard.

Will the band break up, will they go their separate ways, or will they take back their future?