Sweetdiculous is a band that is starting to have an impact on the Boston scene. The band is led by drummer and UMB student Alex Toorish and also consists of lead singer Dan Horgan and “growler” vocalist and technician Danny Knudson. The group has a unique style that they describe as “electro, thrash, industrial, dubstep, and screamo.” Since forming in December of 2009 the band has steadily gained popularity, having reached 2500 Facebook fans. They released their debut EP, “Chomping at the 8-bit,” last June and they were recently added to the roster for the Vans Warped Tour. If you are into heavily produced music, Sweetdiculous is your band, Toorish is the main producer for the group’s recordings and they are masterfully assembled symphonies of electro. A new EP featuring songs such as “Paint Your Face” and “Abercrombie Zombies” is expected in the next few weeks.
The guys recently sat down with the Mass Media for an interview about their future, UMB’s music scene (or lack there of), and some of their tracks.
What an awesome name. How’d you come up with it?
Dan (Horgan) came up with it, he was playing a Japanese video game and there was a character that said “that’s sweetdiculous!” and that was the perfect name.
Was this before or after the band formed?
After.
Did you guys know each other before the band formed or did you come together just to play?
We (Toorish and Knudson) had been friends for a long time and Dan joined later on when we needed a live member. It was mostly recording at first and then we started doing live stuff.
How did you meet Dan?
He and I (Toorish) met on Craigslist actually. I posted that I needed a band mate. He had the longest message ever, something you would normally never reply to but I was like “might as well reply to it.”
Who influences you guys?
The band started out mainly influenced by Crystal Castles, that was sort of the basis for the group. We sort of wanted to emulate them in the beginning.
Alex, what do you think of UMB’s music scene?
There’s a nice music department, I’ve taken some of the classes here. It seems like kids come in with instruments so there must be some kind of music scene but I haven’t really seen anything specific. We never have any open mic nights or anything like that. I don’t see any sort of music scene here except for the department.
What are you guys working on now?
We’re recording, trying to get another release out. It’s hard when your not signed to really get stuff out you know? We had management for a while but it wasn’t working out so now we’re working independently.
Do you have shows coming up?
Yeah definitely, we have Warped Tour coming up that’s the big one. We played the All Asia Bar in Cambridge recently as well as a show in Pennsylvania.
How did you get on Warped Tour?
Our old manager set it up, we wish we could have more dates were only playing a few this year. We’ll be at the date in the Comcast Center in Mansfield as well as a show in upstate New York. We don’t know what stage or time we’ll be on but it’s very exciting. Dan has been to one before and he says they’re great so it should be awesome.
What does the future hold for you guys? What are your ultimate goals?
The short-term ambition is to get signed. We want to get out there; it’s basically momentum and to keep doing the same thing over and over again. It’s networking, you play a lot of shows, you meet a lot of people, and there is no overnight success, which is disheartening for people who are trying to get in on the scene.
Are you happy with your success so far?
Yes, we released our first EP over the summer. It was even a demo of sorts; you’ve got to get music out fast. People don’t pay attention too long. There are so many bands vying for attention so it’s hard to stand out.
You can find Sweetdiculous’ music on iTunes and for information on the guys visit http://www.facebook.com/Sweetdiculous.