Byron (band)
Encyclopedia
byron is an alternative rock
band formed in 2006 in Bucharest
, Romania
. Dan Byron, former guest of Agathodaimon
and ex-member of Urma and Kumm
, initially wanted to start a solo project, but it soon developed into an actual band. Their music is hard to define; it would best be described as art-rock / adult-alternative with a lot of influences from different musical areas, mostly blues, progressive rock and jazz. We7.com describes it as 'intellectual rock'. All lyrics are written in English and touch aspects of modern man’s condition.
) was recruited afterwards, soon followed by Cristi Mateşan on drums. To complete the line-up, the band was joined by bass player Gyergyay "Szabi" Szabolcs, freshly returned from Budapest
. Rehearsals start in October 2006 and the band takes the stage for the first time on the 1st of December - a sold-out gig at Lăptăria Enache
, one of Bucharest's most famed live music venues. Noteworthy later gigs include Art & Aids Bucharest, Stufstock
2007 at Vama Veche
, and a special concept - a 3-band, 3-venues simultaneous concert held together with Timpuri Noi
and Trupa Veche (band).
The debut album, Forbidden Drama
, structured in acts, like a theater drama, was finished in September – with Victor Panfilov as Musical Producer, mixing & mastering at Real Sound Studio, Bucharest. The album is manufactured and distributed by the Romanian label A&A Records. Forbidden Drama
has been released on October 12, 2007, at Fabrica club in Bucharest
, followed by a month-long national promotion tour (Forbidden Tour).
, a mandolin
, a cajón
, an upright bass, an acoustic bass, a string quartet and a piano. The concert featured several guests, most notably Alexandru Andrieş and Paula Seling
.
The show was recorded and released as the live DVD Acoustic Drama" in October 2008, the first unplugged DVD ever released by a Romanian band. There were no later overdubs in the studio, as the band wanted the acoustic experience to be as natural as possible. The DVD contains 14 songs, a photo gallery, the video for "Blow Up My Tears" (directed and shot by Oleg Mutu, edited by Victor Panfilov) and many "making of" features. A notable song is "Departe", a translated version of "Far Away" off Forbidden Drama
, with Romanian
lyrics provided by Alexandru Andrieş.
The DVD was released with a special unplugged show at Palatul Copiilor in Bucharest, followed by a national tour spanning four major cities - Sibiu
, Târgu Mureş, Iaşi
and Cluj
. For the tour, the band hooked up with sponsors Nokia
, promoting their new multimedia smartphones Nokia Nseries
. A special website was created, where fans could record their live experiences and follow the band as they toured the country. Several videos were also uploaded on Youtube, featuring tour performances recorded with Nseries phones.
In June 2010, the band applied a Creative Commons by-nc-nd 3.0 license on their studio albums which can now be downloaded freely from their blog
Note: There has been another Romanian heavy metal band named Byron, with Dan Byron on vocals, active between 1997 and 1999, but with lyrics written in the Romanian language
. That band split up in 1999 after releasing a demo album. There is no connection between these bands other than the vocalist.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band formed in 2006 in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Dan Byron, former guest of Agathodaimon
Agathodaimon (band)
Agathodaimon is a gothic/melodic black metal band from Mainz, Germany.-Biography:The band began in September 1995, when guitarist Sathonys and drummer Matthias got together to assemble a dominant death metal band with harmonic arrangements . They put adverts in several music magazines in the hopes...
and ex-member of Urma and Kumm
Kumm (band)
Kumm are a Romanian alternative rock band formed in Cluj in 1997. The band currently consist of Cătălin Mocan , Eugen "Oigăn" Nuţescu , Kovács András , Mihai Iordache , Uțu Pascu and John Ciurea...
, initially wanted to start a solo project, but it soon developed into an actual band. Their music is hard to define; it would best be described as art-rock / adult-alternative with a lot of influences from different musical areas, mostly blues, progressive rock and jazz. We7.com describes it as 'intellectual rock'. All lyrics are written in English and touch aspects of modern man’s condition.
Formation and Forbidden Drama (2006–2008)
In early 2006, Dan Byron began writing for what would later become byron's debut release. The band was assembled later that year, with guitarist Costin Oprea being the first to join in September. Keyboard player 6fingers (also in gothic metal band MagicaMagica (band)
Magica is a Romanian female-fronted power metal band.- History :Magica started in February 2002 as a project of Bogdan Costea, guitarist of a local gothic metal band, Interitus Dei. The reason for starting this band was Bogdan's desire to play the music that he likes: heavy metal & melodic...
) was recruited afterwards, soon followed by Cristi Mateşan on drums. To complete the line-up, the band was joined by bass player Gyergyay "Szabi" Szabolcs, freshly returned from Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. Rehearsals start in October 2006 and the band takes the stage for the first time on the 1st of December - a sold-out gig at Lăptăria Enache
Laptaria Enache
Lăptăria lui Enache is one of the top bars in Bucharest, Romania. Located in a slightly curved space above the main halls of Bucharest National Theatre near Piaţa Universităţii , the bar is one of the city's best-known gathering spots and music venues. The lobby is decorated with Tristan Tzara and...
, one of Bucharest's most famed live music venues. Noteworthy later gigs include Art & Aids Bucharest, Stufstock
Stufstock
Stufstock is a music festival that has taken place each year since 2003 in Vama Veche, Dobrogea, Romania, to protest against what some people may consider bad quality music Stufstock (Stuf - Romanian for reed - and stock from Woodstock) is a music festival that has taken place each year since 2003...
2007 at Vama Veche
Vama Veche
Vama Veche is a village in Romania on the Black Sea coast, near the border with Bulgaria, at 28.57 E longitude, 43.75 N latitude. It is part of the commune of Limanu and in 2002, it had a population of 178....
, and a special concept - a 3-band, 3-venues simultaneous concert held together with Timpuri Noi
Timpuri Noi
-History:Timpuri Noi was formed in 1980, and remained an underground act up to 1991. This was mainly due to what was perceived as "subversive lyrical content" in the Ceauşescu era. Incidentally, the name derives from a cliché of the period: its literal meaning is "New Times" , used to signify...
and Trupa Veche (band).
The debut album, Forbidden Drama
Forbidden Drama
Forbidden Drama is the first studio album from the alternative/progressive rock band byron. Released on 12 October 2007 in Bucharest, it contains the single . This single charted for a very long while on national radio stations, including City FM and Radio Total...
, structured in acts, like a theater drama, was finished in September – with Victor Panfilov as Musical Producer, mixing & mastering at Real Sound Studio, Bucharest. The album is manufactured and distributed by the Romanian label A&A Records. Forbidden Drama
Forbidden Drama
Forbidden Drama is the first studio album from the alternative/progressive rock band byron. Released on 12 October 2007 in Bucharest, it contains the single . This single charted for a very long while on national radio stations, including City FM and Radio Total...
has been released on October 12, 2007, at Fabrica club in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, followed by a month-long national promotion tour (Forbidden Tour).
Acoustic Drama (2008–2009)
In January 2008, bassist Gyergyay Szabolcs quits the band due to personal reasons and is replaced by Jacob Glick. In this line-up, on April 3, 2008, the band played a special unplugged show at Teatru 74, an unconventional theater venue in the medieval citadel of Târgu Mureş. Old songs, as well as a couple of new ones, were rearranged for a full unplugged performance featuring instruments such as seven different guitars, a banjoBanjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, a mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, a cajón
Cajón
A cajón is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front face with the hands.-Origins and evolution:...
, an upright bass, an acoustic bass, a string quartet and a piano. The concert featured several guests, most notably Alexandru Andrieş and Paula Seling
Paula Seling
Paula Seling is a Romanian singer, composer, and radio DJ.She represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, with Ovidiu Cernăuțeanu, with the song "Playing with Fire". They finished third in the final.-Early life:...
.
The show was recorded and released as the live DVD Acoustic Drama" in October 2008, the first unplugged DVD ever released by a Romanian band. There were no later overdubs in the studio, as the band wanted the acoustic experience to be as natural as possible. The DVD contains 14 songs, a photo gallery, the video for "Blow Up My Tears" (directed and shot by Oleg Mutu, edited by Victor Panfilov) and many "making of" features. A notable song is "Departe", a translated version of "Far Away" off Forbidden Drama
Forbidden Drama
Forbidden Drama is the first studio album from the alternative/progressive rock band byron. Released on 12 October 2007 in Bucharest, it contains the single . This single charted for a very long while on national radio stations, including City FM and Radio Total...
, with Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
lyrics provided by Alexandru Andrieş.
The DVD was released with a special unplugged show at Palatul Copiilor in Bucharest, followed by a national tour spanning four major cities - Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
, Târgu Mureş, Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
and Cluj
Cluj
Cluj may refer to*Cluj-Napoca, county seat of Cluj County, named Cluj until 1974*Cluj County, Romania*Cluj-Napoca International Airport*U Cluj, a Romanian sports club*U Cluj, a Romanian football club*CFR Cluj, a Romanian football club...
. For the tour, the band hooked up with sponsors Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, promoting their new multimedia smartphones Nokia Nseries
Nokia Nseries
Nokia Nseries is a multimedia smartphone product family which is engineered and marketed by the Nokia Corporation.The Nseries devices are known to commonly support multiple high-speed wireless technologies, such as 3G, or Wireless LAN....
. A special website was created, where fans could record their live experiences and follow the band as they toured the country. Several videos were also uploaded on Youtube, featuring tour performances recorded with Nseries phones.
A Kind of Alchemy (2009 onward)
In October 2009 the band released their awaited second album, A Kind Of Alchemy. The release marks an evolution in the band’s sound, with blues, progressive and funk influences, employing a wider diversity of instruments. The 14 new songs came in a 7 inches (177.8 mm) illustrated book, as the graphic aspect is just as important as the music.In June 2010, the band applied a Creative Commons by-nc-nd 3.0 license on their studio albums which can now be downloaded freely from their blog
Note: There has been another Romanian heavy metal band named Byron, with Dan Byron on vocals, active between 1997 and 1999, but with lyrics written in the Romanian language
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
. That band split up in 1999 after releasing a demo album. There is no connection between these bands other than the vocalist.
Band members
- Dan Byron - vocals, guitar, flute (ex- KummKUMMKUMM is a radio station broadcasting an Alternative format. Licensed to Morris, Minnesota, USA. The station is currently owned by University of Minnesota Morris.The station is a member of Minnesota's Independent Public Radio network...
, Urma (band), AgathodaimonAgathodaimon (band)Agathodaimon is a gothic/melodic black metal band from Mainz, Germany.-Biography:The band began in September 1995, when guitarist Sathonys and drummer Matthias got together to assemble a dominant death metal band with harmonic arrangements . They put adverts in several music magazines in the hopes...
) - Costin Oprea - Guitars (ex- Parlament (band))
- 6fingers - Keyboards, backing vocals (also plays in MagicaMagica (band)Magica is a Romanian female-fronted power metal band.- History :Magica started in February 2002 as a project of Bogdan Costea, guitarist of a local gothic metal band, Interitus Dei. The reason for starting this band was Bogdan's desire to play the music that he likes: heavy metal & melodic...
) - Dan Georgescu - Bass guitar
- Vlad Bolborea - Drums
Former members
- Gyergyay Szabolcs - bass
- Jacob Glick - bass
- Vladimir Săteanu - bass
- Cristi Mateşan - drums
- Marcel Moldovan - drums
Discography
- Forbidden DramaForbidden DramaForbidden Drama is the first studio album from the alternative/progressive rock band byron. Released on 12 October 2007 in Bucharest, it contains the single . This single charted for a very long while on national radio stations, including City FM and Radio Total...
(2007) - Acoustic Drama (2008)
- A Kind Of Alchemy (2009)
- Perfect (2011)