Audio•Files

Celestial sounds, whiskey and flightless fowl

By Candace Pacheco
cpache17@mscd.edu

Dredg is a band that isn't afraid to pay tribute to their love of powdered poultry.

"(The name means) to move the earth with machinery, to move scum from the bottom of the river, to keep water flowing, or to powder chicken," singer/guitarist Gavin Hayes said.

Don't read too much into it, though. Hayes said they chose the name for a talent show while in high school and never looked back.

Penguins are another flightless bird of some importance to the band. Hayes said they included a penguin on their first album because they felt it mirrored who they were as a band and serves as a recognizable image for them.

"(It's an) icon for our band, (an) intriguing animal, who created an analogy for our first record," he said. "(It symbolizes) never feeling content or fitting in a certain area."

Hayes and bassist Drew Roulette create the art for their albums, drawings of bugs, animals and symbols that relate to the meaning of the songs or their titles. Hayes said Roulette gets his ideas from European and Asian cultures and philosophy.

Hayes' spiraling guitar riffs sound like they came from an alien who was spit out of his space shuttle and left to do what he does best, play the guitar. He brings an airy, echoing quality that is shadowed by Roulette's bass, creating a long line of depth. Guitarist Mark Engles and drummer Dino Campanella help create an invigorating, crazy sound that's like going to a foreign place for the first time and seeing the different sides of people. Like a pot of gumbo, they amalgamate into music that flows together magically.

All of the members pick up other instruments from time to time, from Campanella's contribution of piano and organ to Engles' credits for "celestial sounds" and whiskey. "(It's) strictly out of boredom, not being shackled down to the instrument that you normally play," Hayes said.

On their newest album, Catch Without Arms, Dredg explores those otherworldly sounds, developing a mixture of quaint and insane songs. On "Zebraskin," they sound like a bug flying in a guitar, skidding past each string. On "Sang Real" they bring some western twang, like a cowboy walking, gun at the ready. Another highlight is "Jamais Vu" which Hayes said is "the opposite of deja vu, a new experience every time, (something that's) never been there before."

The new album shows better songwriting and more focus, according to Hayes. They don't want to give out a message, they just do what they feel works for them. They migrate from one idea to the next, reaching new levels of possibility and never being afraid to be different. Hayes said he sees a constant evolution with each release.

"Keeping in mind this is music, (you're) free to do whatever you want, not being locked into a certain idea," he said

Tickets are sold out for Dredg's appearance Oct. 7 in support of Coheed and Cambria at the Ogden. Luckily, fans can catch Dredg at a special in-store appearance 4 p.m. Oct. 7 at Tower Records in the Cherry Creek Mall.