What band has not at some point imagined themselves living the life of the
traveling rock musician; touring the world in exquisite bohemian fashion,
seeing their dreams made reality and broadcast all over the world in living
color to a multitude of ecstatic fans? And what idealistic young artist has
not hoped that their work will not only entertain, but might actually have a
lasting impact on themselves and others, providing inspiration, or even some
meaning to an otherwise confusing and meaningless existence? All the while
maintaining a sense of individuality, a desire to be perceived as unique and
different from others who on the surface appear to be doing the same thing.
It is from this perspective that guitarist Rick Joyce and singer Jeff Diehm
first laid the groundwork for a project called The Last Dance, an idea that
started at the beginning of the 90's merely as a way to be creative and have
fun, but is now, at the beginning of a new millenium, a serious business
committed to the creation of great music and the pursuit of a dream. And,
with a new album called "Perfect", a successful U.K. tour, and two large
festivals behind them, not to mention the experience and guidance of new
manager Warren Wyatt, Joyce and Diehm, along with their bandmates, longtime
bassist Peter Gorritz, keyboardist Robert Schott, and drummer "Lucky" Ivan
D., are closer to attaining that dream than ever before.
The bright future that lies before this band is due in no small part to it's
impressive past; a past that has been shaped by a strong, unwavering musical
vision, a tremendous work ethic, a love and passion for music, and the
loyalty and trust that can only be won through long-standing friendships.
In the last 5 years TLD has gone from being a small local band from Orange
County, California with a couple of cassette albums (Everyone and Angel,
both still in high demand by fans), to a very professional group of
musicians that have toured the U.S., and England, done shows in Mexico and
Germany, and have 4 CD's and several notable compilation appearances to
their credit. Each CD has showcased different sides of the band, and with
each new release, there is a marked improvement both sonically and
musically. From 1995's Tragedy EP to the full-length album Fairytales
(1996), and on to 1998's singles album Staring At The Sky (Featuring the
popular club remix "Do You Believe In Angels"), and the new, as yet
unreleased Perfect, The Last Dance has shown an ability to experiment, grow,
and take risks, while still maintaining the integrity and basic sound of it'
s original vision. And, just what exactly is that sound?
Ask a band what they sound like, and the inevitable answer is usually
something along the order of "We don't sound like anyone else." Or, "We
sound just like......", or maybe "We are a (insert style here) band." To
their credit, TLD don't bother with answers like these, nor do they go out
of their way to convince anyone of their "uniqueness", opting instead to
allow the listener to decide for themselves what they think the band is, or
how they would describe it to someone else. This is not done out of
pretentiousness or even a false sense of modesty; the truth is that this is
a very difficult band to categorize, and even the people in the band don't
quite know the best way to get the idea across, except to say "Listen for
yourself, and come to your own conclusions."
For those who simply must have some kind of description in order to form a
picture in their minds of what this band may or may not be, the music of The
Last Dance has been described with such adjectives as "Moody", "Energetic",
"Passionate", "Heartfelt", "Uplifting", "Introspective", "Thought Provoking"
, and so on. Journalists have used terms like "Progressive", "Modern",
"Alternative", "Gothic", "80's", "90's", etc., and have made comparisons to
a variety of artists old and new. Bowie, The Cure, Depeche Mode, U2, and
many others, some very surprising, and all unique unto themselves, have been
mentioned as possible frames of reference. All of which suits The Last
Dance just fine. Because, ultimately, they follow their own muse, forging
their own musical path, oblivious to trends or outside influence, except for
the subtle influence that each members unique tastes and personality brings
to the overall sound of the band. A sound that is always, changing and
evolving, taking different turns, exploring new musical ground and new
emotional content. A sound that is best described by not describing it at
all, but by experiencing it. Or perhaps by just saying "The Last Dance"..
CHECK IT OUT!
Here are a couple of their songs in "Real Audio"
NOTE:All images and music on this page are the soul property of "The Last Dance"
