Today we’d like to introduce you to DÅZR. Them and their team share their story with us below:
It all started with the band’s guitarist, Grant. He had been wanting to put a band together for a while and one night decided to get Caroline, who is now their marketing and social media manager, to design a flyer for him to print and put up around downtown Clemson and Clemson University. Looking for a bassist, drummer, and vocalist, he auditioned many different people that had seen his flyers and contacted him. One of the texts he got was from Shranko, who is now the bassist for DÅZR, that very bluntly said “need bassist?” Very straight to the point. Grant auditioned him and they knew immediately that the two of them were going to be in a band together. They were only supposed to play together for about an hour that day but it ended up going on 3 or 4 hours. Still needed a vocalist and a drummer, more flyers were put out and Grant enlisted his brother Austin to help put them around campus and the town.
Austin, however, could sing but Grant didn’t really know this and at the time Austin showed no interest in joining the band or telling Grant about his vocal talent. Shortly after posting more flyers around, Grant heard Austin sing “Too Young To Fall In Love” by Mötley Crüe. After a little convincing, Austin soon became the vocalist for DÅZR. Finally, just needing a drummer, after some more auditioning, Felipe came across the flyer on the way home from class and reached out. After auditioning, he was on the fence for a little bit because of the amount of extracurriculars he’s was already involved in and at the time, didn’t have anywhere he could keep his drum kit. Finally, however, he decided that the band was something he wanted to be a part of and he soon became the drummer for DÅZR.
The first time the four of them played together was something they will always remember and was a pretty surreal moment. The first song they played together was “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses. It was the only song they all knew fully. There was an instant connection that happened while they were playing and they were all left speechless when the song ended. It was in that moment they knew they had something special and they have been determined to take DÅZR as far as they can ever since.
DÅZR is an up-and-coming American rock n’ roll band with influences of the great 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s rock bands such as Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Rush, and more. They have originals that will be released soon. They truly have a passion for what they do and you can hear it come through in their music. They have that old-school rock n’ roll sound and they have the look. They’ve been getting great feedback from their original music they’ve played at their live shows and are really excited to release them to the world.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have definitely been ups and downs but you’ll get that with anything in life. COVID made it somewhat harder to find people to audition in the beginning of the search because all of their classes at school were still mostly online, a lot of places were still closed, and no one was going out. Once everything started returned to normal again things started to turn around and eventually DÅZR was formed. Not only was COVID an initial factor, but finding the right fit was very important and that took some time. When each member was added, they needed to have the right sound and gel well with the others in the band. It definitely took some patience as they wanted to have a complete band with the right people, but in the end it paid off. The four of them have great chemistry as a band and they wouldn’t want to be doing this with anyone else.
Another challenge was getting those initial bookings. They had the band, they had the look and the sound, now they just needed the gigs. Getting your foot in the door as a new artist can be a little difficult. The people in charge of hiring entertainment for their bars or events want their customers and attendees to have a positive interaction with the entertainment. When you’re a new band that no one’s really heard of, it can be difficult to get those initial bookings. Once they got those first few, their name started getting around and they stated getting a lot of booking requests. Even at some of their shows, general managers of surrounding bars and chairs of fraternities were requesting to book them right then and there.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
DÅZR (pronounced day-zer) is a new American rock n’ roll band from Clemson, South Carolina bringing back old-fashioned rock n’ roll to a new generation while paying homage to the original generation of this great era of music. Their musical influences are 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s rock bands such as Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Rush, AC/DC, and more. They bring high energy and a great time to all of their shows. They are most proud of their originals and are in the process of recording them to release in the near future. Their original songs have the same sound as the classic 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s rock bands and have been receiving great feedback on them so far. DÅZR is truly bringing back old-school rock n’ roll. It’s unlike anything out there today and the younger generation is loving it just as much as the generation that grew up listening to this genre of music. It’s so awesome to see everyone, no matter what their age, rocking out with DÅZR and enjoying their performance at all of their shows. They have the rock n’ roll look, they have the rock n’ roll sound, DÅZR is rock n’ roll. You can hear their passion for what they do come through in their music and their performances. They genuinely have a fantastic time rocking out with the crowd and they bring a true experience to their audiences.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Grant Hendrix was always involved in sports – baseball, basketball, and soccer but eventually focused on just baseball for many years. He was and still is, friendly and outgoing and he loved talking to people and other kids in his classes. He always made a friend anywhere he went. He and his brother, Austin, were always playing outside in the woods and making things together. Grant always had an interest in guitar since the age of ten. He became interested in music from hearing his dad play guitar and listening to the music he played in the car on the way to school in the mornings. His dad listened to the radio stations that played bands like AC/DC, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and many other great rock bands which is what sparked Grant’s interest in music and guitar. He heard “Hot For Teacher” by Van Halen and he thought to himself, “I want to do whatever that guys doing!” and now he is the guitarist for an incredibly talented rock band he started.
Matthew Shranko grew up very adventurous. He was always out roaming the neighborhoods and forests trying to find cool things to do. He had a close group of friends that he would either play video games with or just hang out with. He wouldn’t have considered himself particularly outgoing but he was always easy to get along with and wasn’t afraid to meet new people.
Austin Hendrix grew up with various interests. His interests included listening to music, working out, art, and being outside. He’s always been very artistic and music is another way of expressing art in a different form. He kept to himself a lot as a kid and mainly focused on the things he liked doing. He always tried to find ways to explore new things.
Felipe Soares grew up very deeply invested in the things he was interested in. He was homeschooled so he had a lot of time to explore and learn about anything he wanted to. His mom encouraged him to get into as many things as he wanted, but to do everything as well as he could. He decided to make the transition from piano to drums when he was about nine years old, and he spent a lot of time playing along with the music he loved.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thebanddazr.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/theband_dazr
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebanddazr
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/theband_dazr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-wtaIVBkfiv3rldTgMJ65g
Image Credits
5th Ave. Media
