Didly was established in July 2001 following the loss of Beau 'Didly' Prichard, bass player for the recently dissolved Austin band, Knuckledragger. Beau and Knuckledragger vocalist Jason Clausen had hooked up with two members of another recently defunct band, guitarist Phil Pambrun and drummer David Pinkerton of ExEyez. The four had been tossing ideas around for only a few weeks when tragedy struck. Rather than letting the loss crush their spirits, the remaining members swore to honor their fallen brother through pursuit of their music, and Didly was born.
The search for a replacement who could match Beau's unique metal groove lead-guitar style at bass was surprisingly short. Within the first week of auditions, Roger Charo, bass player for the group Eighth Ground, answered their ad in The Chronicle. The two jammed for over two hours that night and Phil informed the band the next day he had found their man.
Roger, still committed to Eighth Ground, agreed to play with Didly as a side project, but the time required to play in two bands quickly became an issue. He opted to walk away from Eighth Ground, an established local hard-core act, to take a chance on the direction and creative freedom he saw in Didly.
The four immediately began to explore one another's styles, developing their sound and churning out songs at an impressive rate. Within a month, they had written an entire set and were ready to showcase their work.
They debuted at the BackRoom at a typical show-me-what-you-can-do Wednesday and bowled over the crowd with their unconventional sound. The club was also impressed, quickly promoting them to weekend headliners.
Other Austin venues followed suit and a buzz about Didly's stout, unpredictable style spread throughout the local music scene and across the state.
They recorded'Tainted Stains of the Nub' in late 2001 with good response. Citing "very enthusiastic reviews", 'Knee Deep' was selected as Track of the Day and featured on the Metal front page at garageband.com, (Dec. '02). "Unequilibrium" , off the band's second album, was completed in early 2003 and the Edge magazine branded them the "new breed of Alternative Metal" in a January '03 feature story. That same year, Didly landed themselves a SXSW showcase and was tapped for the 101-X Homegrown live series. They also played The Edge magazine's CD release party, a metal compilation featuring the track 'D�j� vu/Spite' off their second album.
Didly parted ways with Dave in mid 2003 and was abruptly hounded by numerous drummers eager to have the job. Casey Gibson, veteran musician of local groups such as Allogy and Lesch-Nyhan, leapt at the offer to audition first and impressed the band with his skill and capacity. Despite planning to take their time in finding a replacement, Casey's quirky enthusiasm and refined talent convinced them to look no further.  As a long-time fan, Casey already had a working knowledge of their songs and Didly was up and running again without ever missing a show. After a short hiatus to write new material, the band emerged with a repertoire more impressive than ever before -- an improvement no one thought was possible.
While staying true to Didly's unconventional blend of harmony and aggression, their music now incorporated a hypnotic element and appealed to the full emotional spectrum.
A drummer since the age of 11, Casey possesses an uncanny finesse that complements Phil's unique riffs and Roger's elaborate bass lines, techniques developed in their more than 12 years of playing.
In what he calls the most expressive of his 13 years writing songs, Jason's lyrics are meaningful and refined. His arrangement of fierce yet mesmerizing vocals completes the raw power of their enchantment.
As with any art form, there will always be a line between the everyday music that exists through the band; and the band that exists everyday through the music. This philosophy is the driving force behind Didly's passion and eclectic blend of sound. Too intrusive to label alternative and more complex than traditional metal, Didly's fusion of style spans the gap between the genres.
Their sound weaves back and forth from heavy to tranquil, leaving a little something for everyone in its path.
This broad appeal has become their niche and secured their spot at the forefront of the Texas music scene. They are an ever-evolving creature; a testament to the unavoidable cycle of life. From tragedy comes inspiration. From death comes rebirth. And from that place in music that no one quite has a word for yet, comes Didly.
Here to stay, they are your local fuck band. |
