If you are from the Danville area, you may have heard of The Dystopians who have burst onto the scene this last year and have hit the ground running. Reece Niccum (age 17) from Covington, Ian Clemmons (age 16) from Bismarck, and Matt Nale (age 17) from Georgetown met five years ago at First Gig Rock N’ Roll Camp in Danville. It was there that the “stars aligned” and the boys were brought together to form a rock band that is taking over our local music scene.
They started out as a cover band called “Heyday” and quickly realized their passion and desire to write original songs. “One person will have an idea,” Reece, the guitarist/vocalist and front man told me, “then we will jam it out, add lyrics, record it.” I was blown away to find out that all of the songs they perform live are original.
“We have a lot of reliable connections,” Ian, the drummer, added. Their list of mentors are a list of incredibly impressive names from the area including Jordan Cundiff, Andy Mo, Jeremy Harper, James Jones, Michael Guido Esteves, and several more. Matt, the bass player was thrilled when Jordan from SCP Records started booking shows for the trio.
Although the boys are young, they do not want to be seen as a “kid band”…and they absolutely do not sound like one! “When people hear that we are young and we came from First Gig they automatically think we are going to come out playing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” Reece joked. The reality is that their sound is extremely mature. So mature, they ended up winning The Battle of the Bands in Watseka against seasoned, older bands that they competed against.
They want to be known for their outstanding originals and are looking forward to what the future holds for them. Their goals include releasing their album, which should be out within the next month, touring, and taking this new “gig” as far as it will allow them. “We are just happy to be making music and getting it out to people.”
Last Friday night, I had the pleasure of seeing the trio play at Vintage Villains – one of biggest supporters of the band. “They have been one of the reasons for such an easy start,” the boys say of the venue.
Another big reason for such an easy start … I quickly realized … was the support of the boys’ families. To see their moms and dads cheering them on, selling t-shirts, taking pictures/videos, and screaming and clapping for their kids was heart warming. “They are our biggest fans and the backbone of what we do.”
This is one band that I cannot wait to see what is in store for. I look forward to following their story as they grow into their dreams of taking over the world. You can follow their story on Facebook and Twitter! For booking info, email Chuck Clemmons here.
Upcoming Shows:
Scoreboards Grand Opening – May 7 @ 7pm
Peace & Love,
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thanks for this article it melted my heart!