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DL Token likes it loud and soft.
The Fayetteville band plays both acoustic music and hard-driving rock, and is currently recording an acoustic album to be released concurrently with a completed, yet unreleased rock CD.
Jeremy Strothers, lead vocalist and guitarist, says the new album — which he expects to release in two to four months — is a biographical tale of wanting to stop the world long enough to step off and take a deep breath. {mosimage}
“I think I’m leaning towards calling the project An American Songwriter,” Strothers said. “And its theme is a biography of sorts about a young man at the turn of the millennium and his experiences and the kind of process everybody’s having to deal with making it through a world that’s so fast-paced and numbing, and somehow still stay in touch with your humanity.”
The album is being recorded at Daxwood Productions — located in Fayetteville and owned by Doyle Wood — and its unreleased sister record was recorded three years ago by a previous incarnation of DL Token.
“The second rock album was recorded three years ago — the original ensemble had broken up, everybody was just burned out — we had toured over 900 shows together.
“At the very end of the first band’s run, we were recording our second release and we had mixed and mastered it and started sending it to radio stations,” Strothers said. “In fact, the first CD still gets played every now and again. Right at that time, the band disbanded and the tracks never got completely finished out. That album sort of sat on the back shelf. We just now got all the legal stuff down so we can release it and it’s going to be released in conjunction with the acoustic album. We will be self-promoting both albums as well as looking for a record company.”
Strothers is accompanied by bassist Mike Daniels and percussionist Mitar Maraj. The band is serious about the “percussionist” label, as Maraj does not play a full drum kit, but rather a doumbek — a goblet-shaped hand drum used mostly in Arabic, Jewish, Assyrian, Persian, Balkan, Greek, Armenian, Azeri and Turkish music. Its thin, responsive drumhead and resonance help it produce a distinctively crisp sound.
“I’m blown away by how he can make such a simple, small drum sound like a full drum kit,” Strothers said. “It’s a great supporting instrument for an acoustic guitar. Years went by and I heard he wasn’t doing anything and it just so happens my guitar player at the time left and everything just fell into place.”
Bassist Daniels is a well-known musical figure in Fayetteville, having played with numerous bands.
“We’re all full-time working musicians which is rare for this area,” Strothers said. “I look around and none of my peers make music full-time. And this is the best acoustic ensemble I’ve had in years.”
All three say they love playing in Fayetteville, with Paddy’s being a particular favorite. However, Strothers says his very favorite place to play is an intimate bar down in Myrtle Beach called The Reef.
“It’s just so laid back,” Strothers said. “It’s right on the beach and I can go and play in my swimsuit while bikini babes walk by. And it’s an acoustic venue, which I love. I’ve always played acoustic to supplement income. Working in an acoustic capacity opens up a whole new group of venues you can play to bring in income.”
Strothers says the band gigs all the time, working five nights a week. The band is getting ready to play a huge, annual event — the Freedom Bike Fest in Parkton on July 4-6. DL Token will kick of the show July 4 at noon, followed by Rebel Son and Molly Hatchet; On July 5, the bands will be On Tapp, Crush N’ Run, Aftershock, Peacepipe, the DB Bryant Band, The Fifth and Blackfoot; finishing up the show on July 6 will Country Day, Dixie Highway, the Barry Brown Band, Daryle Singletary and Sammy Kershaw.
“We’re looking forward to it,” Strothers said. “because of the number of people that will be there, it will be exciting.”
Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com and are $25 for one day and $50 for the full three days.
DL Token Has Musical Split Personality
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