Desert Dragon Interview
After a sold out show with Asia at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California, LA Metal Media’s Allie Jorgen talked to Founder and Guitarist of the Hard Rock band Desert Dragon, Greg Patnode. Be sure to check out the Desert Dragon Photo Gallery here: photo-gallery/desert-dragon/
AJ: For people who aren’t familiar with your music, how would you describe it:
Hard rock and a little progressive at some points with some psychedelic thrown in as well.
AJ: What bands have you been compared to?
Pink Floyd, Lynyrd Skynyrd. I just love Lynyrd Skynyrd and that kind of feel, maybe a little Queensryche too.
AJ: You’re getting ready to release a new CD; can you tell us the title and does this CD have any special meaning?
It’s called Before The Storm and it has to do with all the turmoil in the world today, you know, everything Before The Storm.
AJ: What was your writing process for the new CD?
It starts where I put the main idea to the songs down and then a couple of the other guys in the band come in to help iron out any kinks if necessary. We then do some pre-production and scratch tracks to finalize everything before we start the real recording process, starting with the drums and building the songs up from there.
AJ: Who writes the lyrics?
I write all the lyrics.
AJ: You have a new vocalist on this record, tell me about what he brings to the project.
Joseph Michael is a great vocalist with a great range and tons of energy, he brought all that into the studio. Also, with that vocal range I was able to go places with the writing I couldn’t before.
AJ: Are you releasing a single before the full CD is released?
No, we’re just going release the full CD all at once.
AJ: Will you be releasing a music video for any of the new songs from the new CD?
Yeah, we’ve given thought to several of the new tracks but haven’t decided on which track yet but we’ll let you know as soon as a video is ready.
AJ: We were talking earlier about a music award that Desert Dragon received, can you tell us about that?
Yeah, we received the Award for Best Rock Song from the Malibu Music Awards for our song Save My World. It was one of our first awards and it was pretty cool!
AJ: Who are your guitar influences?
Wow, there so many; Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Joe Satriani, Joe Perry, Tony Iommi, you know, all the greats!
AJ: If you could share the stage with anybody, who would that be?
If I could be on the same stage with David Gilmore, that would be really cool that’s for sure!!!
AJ: Tell us about the European tour you’re working on.
We have management working on some east coast dates first and from there we’ll go over to Europe. We are still finalizing the details.
AJ: Regarding local LA shows; do you have a favorite show and highlights that you can share.
I’ve always liked the Sunset Strip but I think that the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills is my favorite local venue because the people there just run a great show.
AJ: You recently played at the Canyon Club opening up for Asia, tell me about that show.
I met the singer John and some of the other guys in the band, they’re great guys. We talked about doing more shows together.
AJ: How do you think the music industry has changed in the last 5 years?
Well, with downloads and file sharing, now more than ever, it’s all about touring.
AJ: Where can people go to find your new CD and all your latest news?
We have a brand new web site called http://desertdragonofficial.com/ and that’s where you can get the new CD, merch and our latest news.
AJ: What’s next for Desert Dragon and where do you see yourselves in 5 years?
We’ll be doing a lot more touring and continuing to build a larger fan base and doing everything to help keep rock & roll alive.
AJ: Are you streaming any of your new material before the CD is released?
Yeah! You can go to our youtube channel at Desert Dragon Band and check out a couple of new tracks from our upcoming CD Before The Storm.
AJ: Is there anything you’d like to say or a special message for the LA Metal Media Audience?
Keep music alive people and support new and local music.
Be sure to check out Desert Dragon on their new web site http://desertdragonofficial.com/ and their youtube channel at Desert Dragon Band.