In showbiz biographies, it’s always the challenging early years that sound like the most fun. After stardom, it’s just recitations of “and then I wrote ” …
A quartet of Santa Fe teens that calls itself Lydian Gray is in those beginning stages now — and they are, predictably, facing a lot of challenges. And having a lot of fun.
Lydian Gray celebrates the release of its first, self-titled CD at a release party Wednesday at Chinese Underground (which doubles at the lead vocalist’s home). Directions can be obtained by contacting the band through its Web site, lydiangray.com. The party starts at 6 p.m. and the stars of the occasion are expected to take the stage around 9 p.m.
And, in July, Lydian Gray leaves on a one-van-and-onecar tour of Western states that they’re still booking. There’s a date in Portland, Ore., and another two or three firming up in Arizona and Nevada. More dates are welcome, of course. It shouldn’t be too hard. In a series of local appearances this spring, Lydian Gray band has attracted considerable attention for its original songs and unusual sound — what one local aficionado called “a cross between the Beatles and Kurt Weill.”
Not bad for a band that’s been together for less than a year. The Journal sat down with the four members of the band for a chat about the pleasures and vicissitudes of getting going in the music industry. Lydian Gray’s members are Dyami Clement, 16, keys, vocals and occasionally lead guitar; Pecos Singer, 16, cellist, occasional keys; Sean Chavez, 17, drums, and Ben Toledo, 18, bass guitar. What they really want, they said, is just the chance to play more shows.
It’s a problem, you still being so young, isn’t it?
DYAMI: Particularly in Santa Fe and New Mexico. Although we can legally play there, bars don’t want to book underage bands, because they don’t want the liability of coping with underage fans. In other states, like Oregon, there’s some allowance. Underage fans can come see a band, as long as they acknowledge that they’re underage and can’t drink alcohol.
PECOS: Some venues have family nights, events where they just allow alcohol and nonalcohol drinkers. Ralli’s in Albuquerque does that.
In Santa Fe, about the only one is the Santa Fe Brewing Company.DYAMI: We would lo-o-ove to play the Santa Fe Brewing Company! We would love that.
How did the band get started?
DYAMI: Pecos and I have been neighbors since I was 4 years old. We picked up our respective instruments at about 8. We’ve been playing together, working on stuff, for years. We started writing music together. That’s how we gave birth to “Waiting Game” (a cut on the new CD).
BEN: Then you had y our solo project.
DYAMI: (laughing) Yeah, probably the less said about that the better. It was in middle school. I made my first CD in the 7th grade. It was called “Something Lovely.” It was, um, very juvenile. Oh, well — I got a lot of experience and met people in the music business. Anyway, Pecos and I were playing together and then Ben joined us, originally as a drummer.
PECOS: He was a fine drummer.
BEN: Hey, no need to be sarcastic! I’d played drums about four months. I started playing bass in the eighth grade, about five years ago. So I went back to bass.
DYAMI: Then we went five or six months without a drummer. It took us two months to convince Sean to join the band. He was already drumming for Subject to Change. He said — what did you say? That playing for us would be like …
SEAN: Like cheating on your girlfriend.
PECOS: Yeah, but then he manned up and did it.
And the name came from?
DYAMI: Well, it’s sort of literary and sort of musical …
Like a cross between the Oscar Wilde character Dorian Grey and the Lydian music mode?
CHORUS: Right! How’d you guess?
What kinds of training have you had?
PECOS: Well, because I play cello, I’ve had the most formal musical training. My first teacher was Jody Ellis for two or three years, and now I study with Dana Winograd; she is principal cellist with the Santa Fe Symphony and plays with the New Mexico Symphony as well.
How does she feel about your work with the band?
PECOS: She’s been very encouraging.
Any musicians in your family?
PECOS: My dad taught himself to play piano and guitar. He sings a lot of Dylan, and plays on the piano.
SEAN: My dad got me into drums in the sixth grade. There have always been drums around our house. He taught me how to hold the beat.
BEN: I taught myself bass. One of my parents’ friends, Yolanda Cardenas, lent me her bass for a few months so I could get started.
DYAMI: When my mom bought our house, it came with a piano. I always enjoyed fiddling with it. When I was 8, I started piano lessons with Melissa Toedtman and kept those up for three years. Since then, I’m basically self-taught. I got very interested in jazz once I started learning the keyboards on my own.
What are your influences?
DYAMI: I like every genre. Nirvana, definitely, influences me growing up. In the eighth grade, I discovered jazz — Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. I always loved swing. Oh, and Chopin — Chopin makes me want to play the piano.
SEAN: My father (Marcos Chavez) has been my biggest inspiration. He plays the old heavy metal sounds — AC/DC and Metallica — plus, lately concerts are a big influence. They make me want to play the drums more. Whatever the music, I just look at the drummer. I’ve been doing a bit more jazz style with Lydian Gray. Heavy metal is fairly simple beats, progression and dynamics. Since I joined Lydian Gray, I’m moving more toward jazz and a bit of swing.
PECOS: Obviously, classical music. I took piano for five years, too. And then, (laughing) Dyami also has a powerful undertow! Everything I’ve heard has influenced me. I don’t really listen to a lot of music. I write music on the piano, and for myself, I play Chopin, Mozart, Bach.
BEN: When I started playing bass, I was really influenced by punk music. The Clash were probably my favorites; more recently, Radiohead. Anything by Damon Albarn: The Good, the Bad and the Queen. I listen to a lot of reggae bassists. And I love Flea with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His style is mindblowing.
And now you’re planning this tour. Sleeping in the van and car?
PECOS: Probably. crashing on someone’s living room floor. We’re not picky. It depends on how many CDs we sell.
DYAMI: And with gas prices what they are …
PECOS: We might run out of gas in Arizona.
BEN: Don’t even think about that!
If you go
WHAT: CD Release party for Lydian Gray Jazz/Alt Rock Fusion
WHEN: 6 p.m. Wednesday
WHERE: Chinese Underground
COST: $10. E-mail for directions at www.lydiangray.com
