{"id":1262,"date":"2016-10-17T20:01:39","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T20:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/skyemediaonline.com\/wordpress\/?p=1262"},"modified":"2016-11-09T20:03:47","modified_gmt":"2016-11-09T20:03:47","slug":"alex-dezen-announces-release-of-second-solo-album-ii-in-february-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/skyemediaonline.com\/wordpress\/alex-dezen-announces-release-of-second-solo-album-ii-in-february-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Alex Dezen announces release of second solo album, “II,” in February 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n

October 17, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ALEX DEZEN ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF<\/strong><\/p>\n

SECOND SOLO ALBUM,\u00a0II<\/i>, IN FEBRUARY 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

His former band, The Damnwells, officially calls it quits<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s official. The Damnwells are done. \u201cIt was an amazing run,\u201d says Alex Dezen of the band for which he was the lead singer. \u201cBut it\u2019s time to move on.\u201d 16 years, 5 albums, and countless miles later, Dezen is finally stepping out on his own with his second solo album in two years. Truth be told, the tenuous formation which has carried the Damnwells moniker over the last decade and a half has always featured Dezen\u2019s voice and songs front and center. Both 2007\u2019s\u00a0One Last Century<\/i>\u00a0and 2010\u2019s\u00a0No One Listens<\/i>\u00a0to the Band Anymore\u00a0<\/i>employed a wide net of musicians and friends, often without founding members Steven Terry, Ted Hudson, and David Chernis. So, in many ways,\u00a0II<\/i>, the second solo album from Damnwells frontman, is just a continuation of what Dezen has been doing his entire career. Only it isn\u2019t that at all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From the fuzzed-out refrains of \u201cWhen You Give Up\u201d to the lush harmonies of \u201cEverything\u2019s Great (Everything\u2019s Terrible)\u201d to the acoustic folkie life lessons of \u201cThe Boys of Bummer,\u201d\u00a0II<\/i>\u00a0showcases the creative spark of an artist coming into his prime \u2014 a songwriter who has been able to deftly thread the needle between his past, present, and future.\u00a0II<\/i>, which is being released on February 3, 2017 on Poor Man Records, remains undaunted, pushing artistic boundaries like never before.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIn many ways,\u201d says Dezen, \u201cthe job of an artist is to re-examine what came before. That informs what we do next.\u201d Taken as a whole,\u00a0II<\/i>\u00a0displays a penchant for blending both retro and modern sounds to forge something new, yet still creating something catchy enough to hook the listener on the very first spin. \u201cMy intention when I made this record was not to make an \u201980s record,\u201d Dezen clarifies. \u201cBut as soon as I got the guitar in my hands and started messing around with chords and getting further along into the production and the writing, it just went that way \u2014 and it felt very natural to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Songs like \u201cHolding On to You (Holding On to Me)\u201d builds on the Lindsey Buckingham-esq sonic palette made famous on Fleetwood Mac\u2019s magnum studio opus, 1979\u2019s\u00a0Tusk<\/i>, and brings it into the modern age. \u201cThat music has been in my mind and in my ears as long as I can remember,\u201d Dezen admits. \u201cThe late-\u201970s was an interesting time. Disco was dying, so there\u2019s this weird combination of disco and rock & roll happening together, which produced some really cool stuff.\u201d Dezen is pleased with the ways this album bridges the gap between then and now, and doesn\u2019t shy away from the obvious comparisons. \u201cI\u2019m well aware of it,\u201d says Dezen. \u201cI welcome it. I wish I had been in that band! This song is the closest I\u2019m going to get.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dezen, who wrote, performed, produced, and mixed this record almost entirely on his own, thoroughly enjoyed the time he spent in a band. \u201cThe beauty of being in a band,\u201d Dezen explains, \u201cis you\u2019ve got all these different influences coming in. But when you\u2019re making a record by yourself and you\u2019re producing it by yourself, you can chase down any and every idea to its most perfect conclusion. You can really explore all the things and ideas you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dezen knows what lane he\u2019s in as an artist \u2014 and he\u2019s totally cool with it. \u201cI\u2019m not trying to rewrite the history of music. I\u2019m not Radiohead, and I\u2019m not trying to do something that has never been heard before,\u201d he says. \u201cI do very much like familiarity in my music. It\u2019s whatever originality you bring to it that ultimately makes your music special.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One song Dezen expects will push a few hot buttons with listeners is \u201cI Am a Racist,\u201d which also features backing vocals from one of the album\u2019s key collaborators, Amber Bollinger. \u201cI think the most dangerous form of racism,\u201d says Dezen, \u201cis the racist who doesn\u2019t even realize what they are, that their racism is so systematically engrained, they don\u2019t see what a huge part of the problem they are.\u201d For Dezen, change is something that has to start from within. \u201cSaying that the problem is me,\u201d Dezen explains, \u201cas opposed to pointing a finger and saying that it\u2019s something else, is a lot more powerful. I guess I\u2019m asking for a \u2018Man in the Mirror\u2019 moment. We need to look deeply at the way we engage with each other. We need to start there.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Though the first song on the album, \u201cWhen You Give Up,\u201d highlights the darker side of hope, Dezen himself has an internal drive that just won\u2019t quit. \u201cThe only thing I feel pretty confident about being able to do is write a song,\u201d Dezen says. \u201cWhether or not that song is any good, who knows. But this is what I\u2019ve been doing for so long. I do know it brings me a tremendous amount of joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That joy is what keeps him going. \u201cJust when I thought everything had fallen apart, something positive would appear in my life, inviting me to continue to do what I do,\u201d Dezen says. \u201cI guess I just do it because I really, genuinely love it. It challenges me. It keeps me sharp. I think that\u2019s why the arts are so important. The arts ultimately make you active, smart, and more aware and more empathetic towards the people in the world around you.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The overall takeaway from\u00a0II\u00a0<\/i>is an artist forging ahead with an uncompromising, singular vision. \u201cYou\u2019ll get that I\u2019m saying, \u2018Here I am as me, and I\u2019m now moving into this phase.\u2019 And you know what? That\u2019s not a bad place to be.\u201d It sure isn\u2019t. If anything,\u00a0II\u00a0<\/i>is the clear sonic signpost for where the ever-searching singer\/songwriter is headed next.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Plans for a North American tour with a full band are currently underway for 2017, which will feature a good mix of Damnwells and Alex Dezen tunes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dezen\u2019s prowess for writing celebrated songs of every ilk is undeniable. In 2010, he earned his master\u2019s degree from the University of Iowa after completing two years at the institution\u2019s Iowa Writers\u2019 Workshop. In 2014, Dezen released a series of four solo EPs. In March 2015, following a seven-year split, the original Damnwells lineup reunited and released their fifth studio album, a self-titled collection featuring 11 tracks. In addition to his contribution to The Damnwells\u2019 vast canon of songs over the 15 years the band recorded, Dezen has written for others and worked with a variety of superstars, including Dave Grohl, The Dixie Chicks, Justin Bieber and Kelly Clarkson, among many others. In 2015, he collaborated with the American dance company Pilobolus Dance Theater, composing the music for the dance piece \u201cWednesday Morning, 11:45 (2015),\u201d which was performed at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.\u00a0 In February 2016 to celebrate the release of his first, self-titled solo album which came out that month, Dezen hosted a day-long livestream during which he played virtually every song he ever recorded from a series of locations in Nashville.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

www.alexdezen.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 17, 2016   ALEX DEZEN ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF SECOND SOLO ALBUM,\u00a0II, IN FEBRUARY 2017 \u00a0 His former band, The Damnwells, officially calls it quits     It\u2019s official. The Damnwells are done. \u201cIt was an amazing run,\u201d says Alex Dezen of the band for which he was the lead singer. \u201cBut … <\/p>\n

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