DRAGON PARADE ROCKS!

Dragons Parade

Listening to Dragon Parade, it’s easy to imagine a
dragon snorting fire, snarling, furious, tearing up
the 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 their
Asiatic counterparts. Asiatic dragons are beautiful
creatures: powerful, wild, magical, and wise.
Dragon Parade was founded in 1997, and after a break
to record various projects, Dián has reunited Dragon
Parade for their newest album "Smoke". Playing with
Dragon Parade, Dián says, allows her to perform and
write 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 enough
to form the centerpiece of its own concept album. Dián
writes a lot, and plenty of her original songs are
available on line. During her shows, she’ll perform
original numbers interspersed with classic rock songs.
After all, what’s the point of having a group as tight
and well rehearsed as Dragon Parade if you aren’t
occasionally going to rip into some Led Zeppelin or
Aerosmith? Like the best multi-part bands, the musicians
are all immensely talented and charismatic in their
own right, but the centerpiece is Dián Wilson; her voice
is one of the best instruments in rock today. No
synthesized 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 with
Dián, and we went from talking about the Van Halen
concert we’d both been at, to talking about the new
album. 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 off
and a promise for the rest of the CD. Dián is clearly
glad to be back in front of a full band. On stage, she
says, she wants to connect with every single person in
the room, from the people dancing up against the stage
to the dark figures hanging near back with their
drinks. 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 a
tent-revival, turning half hour spots into epic stands.
Audiences should expect a live experience that is
loud and rocking, and utterly devoid of pretension.
The band is tight enough to stop on a dime, but they
have energy to spare and plenty of songs to keep
rocking. Dragons are on parade, coming soon to your
favorite venue. You can get yourself ready by checking
out some of their music at dragonparade.com and
skyhenry.com, or on MySpace at myspace.com/dragonparade.