The Dream Syndicate, Vienna

The Dream Syndicate biography

One of the most celebrated bands to come out of the Los Angeles' Paisley Underground scene of the '80s, the Dream Syndicate clearly adored the intricate wordplay and edgy energy of Highway 61 Revisited-era Bob Dylan, as well as the noisy guitars and bracing darkness of the Velvet Underground. Dream Syndicate leader Steve Wynn's initial influences may have been clear, but he was a strong enough songwriter to give the group material that stood on its own, and over the course of their run, the Dream Syndicate took their music in a number of challenging directions. After the stark, nervy sound of their first album, 1982's The Days of Wine and Roses, they crafted a darker and more ambitious follow-up, 1984's Medicine Show, that moved them into a dustier and more rock-oriented sound. 1986's Out of the Grey and 1988's Ghost Stories stripped down their approach and embraced a wiry, energetic attack, but they were released just as the group was winding down. On 2017's How Did I Find Myself Here?, Wynn introduced a revamped Dream Syndicate with an approach that was, as always, dominated by strong guitars and literate songwriting, but this time with an experimental bent that dovetailed into psychedelia on 2019's These Times and revealed ambient and prog influences on 2022's Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions. * Initial line-up: Steve Wynn (vocals and guitar); Karl Precoda (guitar); Kendra Smith (bass); Dennis Duck (drums). * Final line-up: Wynn, Duck, Paul B. Cutler (guitar), Mark Walton (bass).

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