Goatman4000

DRAGON PARADE ROCKS!Dragons Parade Listening to Dragon Parade, it’s easy to imagine adragon snorting fire, snarling, furious, tearing upthe stage, according to Dián Wilson (aka Sky Henry), the lead singer and founding member, there are two kinds of dragons. The Western ones that you need St. George to kill, and theirAsiatic counterparts. Asiatic dragons are beautifulcreatures: powerful, wild, magical, and wise. Dragon Parade was founded in 1997, and after a breakto record various projects, Di...

DRAGON PARADE ROCKS!Dragons Parade Listening to Dragon Parade, it’s easy to imagine adragon snorting fire, snarling, furious, tearing upthe stage, according to Dián Wilson (aka Sky Henry), the lead singer and founding member, there are two kinds of dragons. The Western ones that you need St. George to kill, and theirAsiatic counterparts. Asiatic dragons are beautifulcreatures: powerful, wild, magical, and wise. Dragon Parade was founded in 1997, and after a breakto record various projects, Dián has reunited DragonParade for their newest album "Smoke". Playing withDragon Parade, Dián says, allows her to perform andwrite to the type of music she loves the most. After an introspective and experimental period, it’s time to make noise again. "Smoke" is big and explosive, and the writing is sharp. Imagine listening to the rumored electric version of Nebraska. It reflects the “Fuck it all, blow it out the end of a shotgun” approach of their best shows. Even more than their previous work, "Smoke" makes sure that no one misses the message. Each song is well-produced and idiosyncratic enoughto form the centerpiece of its own concept album. Diánwrites a lot, and plenty of her original songs areavailable on line. During her shows, she’ll performoriginal numbers interspersed with classic rock songs.After all, what’s the point of having a group as tightand well rehearsed as Dragon Parade if you aren’toccasionally going to rip into some Led Zeppelin orAerosmith? Like the best multi-part bands, the musiciansare all immensely talented and charismatic in theirown right, but the centerpiece is Dián Wilson; her voiceis one of the best instruments in rock today. Nosynthesized lip syncing live, it hits you hard on the heavy rockers, then turns intimate and seductive on ballads. After one of these shows, I had a chance to talk withDián, and we went from talking about the Van Halenconcert we’d both been at, to talking about the newalbum. It was recorded at various undisclosed locations due to the interest level of friends and competitors alike. The first song is called "If I Want To" and it’s both a great lead offand a promise for the rest of the CD. Dián is clearlyglad to be back in front of a full band. On stage, shesays, she wants to connect with every single person inthe room, from the people dancing up against the stageto the dark figures hanging near back with theirdrinks. Dragon Parade is the antithesis of the band that’s too cool for the room. When Dragon Parade takes the stage they own it, clearly believing in giving the crowd their money’s worth. The shows can border on marathon, with the energy of atent-revival, turning half hour spots into epic stands. Audiences should expect a live experience that isloud and rocking, and utterly devoid of pretension.The band is tight enough to stop on a dime, but theyhave energy to spare and plenty of songs to keeprocking. Dragons are on parade, coming soon to yourfavorite venue. You can get yourself ready by checkingout some of their music at dragonparade.com andskyhenry.com, or on MySpace at myspace.com/dragonparade.