David Draiman recalls ‘out of place’ Disturbed audition

News / 10 hours ago / by Martin Kielty

Disturbed in the early days

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Disturbed frontman David Draiman has recalled feeling “out of place” when he auditioned for the band 20 years ago this week

Disturbed frontman David Draiman has recalled feeling “out of place” at his audition for the band 20 years ago this week – and how the meeting resulted in their first song being written.

He remembers being dressed as a “stoner” while his future bandmates “looked like they were from Skid Row.”

The encounter took place after he saw a notice in a Chicago music publication.

Draiman says: “I went to an audition for a band whose ad I’d seen. I walked into their rehearsal spot on the south side – and the guys looked like they were from Skid Row.

“All wearing faded, frayed, acid-washed jeans, flannel shirts – halfway open, of course – long, feathered and flowing hair, and Converse All Stars no laces, with the tongues out.

“I could not have felt more out of place. I was wearing jean shorts, yes, jean shorts, sandals and a plain white t-shirt, in full ‘north side Chicago stoner’ mode.”

He’d spoken to guitarist Dan Donegan before the meeting and compared musical tastes, so he was asked to suggest a cover version they all might know.

Draiman continues: “‘Do you have any originals?’ I asked. ‘Yes,’ they said, ‘But what are you going to sing?’ ‘I’ll come up with something,’ I said. ‘Just go ahead and play, and I’ll improvise.’”

He describes the music he heard as “heavy and dark, rhythmic and beautiful,” and admits he felt “fascinated and intimidated” by it.

Continued below...

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“That very first jam ended up becoming our very first song, Want, offThe Sickness,” says Draimain.

Thanking “the most passionate and dedicated fans in the world” for their support since then, he adds: “Hard to believe that was 20 years ago. What a crazy ride it’s been, and how far we’ve come. Here’s to another 20 years!”

Disturbed – who released debut The Sickness in 2000 and launched sixth album Immortalized last year – are currently touring North America with Chevelle, before joining Avenged Sevenfold on their UK road trip in January.

Disturbed tour dates

Aug 08: Toronto Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, ON
Aug 12: Dallas Gexa Energy Amphitheatre, TX
Aug 13: Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX
Aug 15: Denver Red Rocks Amphitheatre, CO
Aug 17: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheatre, NM
Aug 19: Concord Pavilion, CA
Sep 23: Las Vegas Joint, NV (support TBA)
Sep 27: West Valley City Maveridk Centre, UT
Sep 28: Colorado Spring World Arena, CO
Sep 30: Des Moines Wells Fargo Arena, IA
Oct 04: Raleigh Red Hat Amphitheater, NC
Oct 05: University Park Bryce Jordan Center, PA
Oct 07: Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, NJ
Oct 08: Huntington Big Sandy Superstore Arena, WV
Oct 09: Reading Santander Arena, PA
Oct 17: Austin Moody Theater, TX
Oct 18: Midland Horseshoe Pavillion, TX
Oct 19: El Paso Speaking Rock Arena, TX
Oct 21: Glendale Gila River Arena, AZ

Jan 10: Glasgow SSE Hydro
Jan 12: Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
Jan 13: Birmingham Genting Arena
Jan 15: Sheffield Arena
Jan 16: Manchester Arena
Jan 18: Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Jan 19: Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
Jan 21: London O2 Arena

FROM THE ARCHIVE

News / 22 days ago

Disturbed's Draiman thinks people have become genre snobs

David Draiman Reflects on Disturbed Beginnings on 20th Anniversary of His Audition

David Draiman Reflects on Disturbed Beginnings

on 20th Anniversary of His Audition

By Chad Childers August 4, 2016 4:07 PM

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire

Disturbed are one of the top rock bands in the biz, but they had to start somewhere, and in this case, the journey all started with a musician answering an ad. Guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren and bassist Steve “Fuzz” Kmak had already toiled for a couple of years together, but found themselves in need of a new vocalist and decided to see what putting an ad in the Illinois Entertainer would yield. Luckily for them, they found the perfect fit in a vocalist named David Draiman. Today (Aug. 4) marks the 20th anniversary of that fateful audition and Draiman reflected on the key date in Disturbed history in a new posting.

In his missive below, Draiman reveals it may not have initially seemed like a perfect fit, especially in terms of look, when he entered the rehearsal space with the guys, but it didn’t take long for their music to impress him and for his improvisational process to strike a chord with the group. Read Draiman’s posting, in his traditional CAPS LOCK, below:

20 YEARS AGO TODAY, I WENT TO AN AUDITION TO SING FOR A BAND WHO’S AD I HAD SEEN IN A LOCAL CHICAGO MUSIC PUBLICATION CALLED “THE ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER”.

I WALKED INTO THEIR REHEARSAL SPOT ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO, AND…

…THE GUYS LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE FROM “SKID ROW”…LOL.

ALL WEARING FADED/FRAYED, ACID WASHED JEANS, FLANNEL SHIRTS (HALFWAY OPEN…OF COURSE…LOL), LONG, FEATHERED AND FLOWING HAIR, AND CONVERSE ALL STARS, WITH NO LACES, WITH THE TONGUES OUT.

I COULD NOT HAVE FELT MORE OUT OF PLACE…

I WAS WEARING JEAN SHORTS (YES…JEAN SHORTS), SANDALS, AND A PLAIN WHITE T-SHIRT, IN FULL “NORTH SIDE CHICAGO/STONER” MODE, LOL…

THE GUITAR PLAYER (DAN) AND I, HAD DISCUSSED OUR MUSICAL TASTES ON THE PHONE PRIOR TO MEETING, AND THE GUYS ASKED ME IF I KNEW ANY COVERS WE COULD JAM TOGETHER TO FEEL EACH OTHER OUT.

LOOKING AT THE P.A., AND SEEING THE MIC SITTING IN ITS STAND, I ASKED THEM, “DOES THE P.A. WORK?”

“YES.” THEY SAID.

“DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY ORIGINALS YOU CAN PLAY?” I ASKED.

“YES.”, THEY SAID, “BUT WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SING? YOU DIDN’T HAVE THE MUSIC AHEAD OF TIME, AND DIDN’T HAVE THE CHANCE TO WRITE ANYTHING TO IT?”

“I’LL COME UP WITH SOMETHING.”, I SAID, “JUST GO AHEAD AND PLAY, AND I’LL IMPROVISE”.

THEY BEGAN TO PLAY.

THE SOUND WAS HEAVY AND DARK. RHYTHMIC AND BEAUTIFUL, I WAS FASCINATED AND INTIMIDATED BY IT, ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

A COUPLE MINUTES INTO IT, I BEGAN MY OWN IMPROVISED LYRIC AND MELODY/RHYTHM.

THAT VERY FIRST JAM ENDED UP BECOMING OUR VERY FIRST SONG, “WANT”, OFF OF The Sickness.

HARD TO BELIEVE THAT WAS 20 YEARS AGO TODAY. WHAT A CRAZY RIDE ITS BEEN, AND HOW FAR WE’VE COME, THANKS TO THE MOST PASSIONATE, AND DEDICATED FANS IN THE WORLD!

HERE’S TO ANOTHER 20 YEARS!

WE ARE…

DISTURBED.

While Disturbed found their vocalist in Draiman in 1996, it wasn’t instant success. In a previous video interview with the singer (posted below), Draiman spoked of how they hustled their way around the Chicago music scene for a few years hoping to make the right connections. Even once they signed to a label and released their debut The Sickness, it was a steady build and almost a full year into support of the album before they enjoyed their true breakout with the single “Down With the Sickness.” Watch Draiman reflect on their beginnings below.

David Draiman Reflects on Disturbed’s Beginnings and The Sickness

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Read More: David Draiman Reflects on 20th Anniversary of Disturbed Audition | http://loudwire.com/david-draiman-


reflects-disturbed-20th-anniversary-his-audition/?trackback=tsmclip

David Draiman Commemorates 20 Years of His Disturbed Audition With Emotional All-Caps Post artist: Disturbed date: 08/05/2016 category: music news

I like this 162 votes: 18 views: 5,153 DAVID DRAIMAN, THE VOICE OFDISTURBED, MARKED THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BAND AUDITION BY PENNING A LOVELY POST REMINISCING THE OLD DAYS. HE SAID VIA FACEBOOK: "20 YEARS AGO TODAY, I WENT TO AN AUDITION TO SING FOR A BAND WHO'S AD I HAD SEEN IN A LOCAL CHICAGO MUSIC PUBLICATION CALLED 'THE ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER.' "I WALKED INTO THEIR REHEARSAL SPOT ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO, AND... "...THE GUYS LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE FROM SKID ROW... LOL. "ALL WEARING FADED/FRAYED, ACID WASHED JEANS, FLANNEL SHIRTS (HALFWAY OPEN... OF COURSE... LOL), LONG, FEATHERED AND FLOWING HAIR, AND CONVERSE ALL STARS, WITH NO LACES, WITH THE TONGUES OUT. "I COULD NOT HAVE FELT MORE OUT OF PLACE... "I WAS WEARING JEAN SHORTS (YES... JEAN SHORTS), SANDALS, AND A PLAIN WHITE T-SHIRT, IN FULL 'NORTH SIDE CHICAGO/STONER' MODE, LOL... "THE GUITAR PLAYER (DAN) AND I, HAD DISCUSSED OUR MUSICAL TASTES ON THE PHONE PRIOR TO MEETING, AND THE GUYS ASKED ME IF I KNEW ANY COVERS WE COULD JAM TOGETHER TO FEEL EACH OTHER OUT. 'LOOKING AT THE P.A., AND SEEING THE MIC SITTING IN ITS STAND, I ASKED THEM, 'DOES THE P.A. WORK?' "'YES.' THEY SAID. "'DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY ORIGINALS YOU CAN PLAY?' I ASKED. "'YES,' THEY SAID, 'BUT WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SING? YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE MUSIC AHEAD OF TIME, AND DIDN'T HAVE THE CHANCE TO WRITE ANYTHING TO IT?' "'I'LL COME UP WITH SOMETHING,' I SAID, 'JUST GO AHEAD AND PLAY, AND I'LL IMPROVISE.' "THEY BEGAN TO PLAY. "THE SOUND WAS HEAVY AND DARK. RHYTHMIC AND BEAUTIFUL, I WAS FASCINATED AND INTIMIDATED BY IT, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. "A COUPLE MINUTES INTO IT, I BEGAN MY OWN IMPROVISED LYRIC AND MELODY/RHYTHM. "THAT VERY FIRST JAM ENDED UP BECOMING OUR VERY FIRST SONG, 'WANT,' OFF OF 'THESICKNESS.' "HARD TO BELIEVE THAT WAS 20 YEARS AGO TODAY. WHAT A CRAZY RIDE ITS BEEN, AND HOW FAR WE'VE COME, THANKS TO THE MOST PASSIONATE, AND DEDICATED FANS IN THE WORLD! "HERE'S TO ANOTHER 20 YEARS! "WE ARE... "DISTURBED." AND THUS SPOKETH THE DAVID.

Is this the least rock n roll moment ever? Lead singer of heavy metal band Disturbed stops their gig to get the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to the guitarist Guitarist Dan Donegan

Is this the least rock n roll moment ever? Lead singer of heavy metal band Disturbed stops their gig to get the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to the guitarist 

• Guitarist Dan Donegan had his birthday on the day of a show in New Jersey.
• Vocalist David Draiman got the crowd to serenade him live during the set.
• Two months ago they did the same for Donegan's son on his 9th birthday. 
• Dan missed Justin's 1st birthday and says on tour events are often missed.

By FRANCIS SCOTT FOR MAILONLINE VIDEO

PUBLISHED: 05:25 EST, 3 August 2016 | UPDATED: 08:10 EST, 3 August 2016

Being a band on tour can be tough sometimes as important family dates and occasions are often missed.

But heavy metal group Disturbed do not let being on the road get in the way of personal celebrations, even if they happen to be performing live on stage.

At their concert in Jackson, New Jersey on Sunday, they stopped their set to sing Happy Birthday to guitarist Dan Donegan.

Heavy metal singer gets entire venue to sing happy birthday

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The band Disturbed at their recent concert in New Jersey, when it was guitarist Dan Donegan's (right) birthday

Although perhaps not the most rock n' roll of moments, it was a memorable night for Dan who was joined on stage by his children.

In crowd footage of the sing-along lead singer David Draiman says: 'At this particular time of the night I think it's important to point out that we have a birthday boy on the stage.

Share

'That's righ

That's right he thought that he would get away without us saying we recognized but I say 'f*** that!

'Ladies and gentlemen wish Mr Dan Donegan a very very happy birthday.'

The audience then happily sing the famous tune to the Illinois born musician.

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Crowd footage shows the sing-along led by lead singer David Draiman live on the stage

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Lead vocalist David Draiman (centre) got the crowd to serenade Dan Donegan (right)

And this is not the first time the band has stopped to serenade a member of the Donegans.

Just two months ago in Luxembourg the crowd sang Happy Birthday to son Justin when he turned nine years old.

A message from Dan read: 'While on tour, there are many things we may miss back home and one of them is family birthdays! I missed my son Justin's 1st birthday back in 2008, as well as a few others!

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Draiman told the crowd Dan thought he would get away without his birthday being recognized

'I'm very fortunate to have him come out on tour with us in Europe, this time to celebrate his 9th birthday! Thank you Luxembourg for making this a very memorable night for him. This was truly a heart-warming moment for us to share.'

For some such scenes may not exactly be the coolest moment, yet fans of the band certainly did not mind.

On Facebook Melissa Williams wrote: 'We took our daughter last night (to New Jersey), it was her first concert ever! She absolutely loves you guys & sang every word right along with you! She won't forget this concert ever!'

While Marie Esposito wrote: 'You guys rocked tonight! Amazing show! Happy birthday again Dan!'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3721236/David-Draiman-Disturbed-stops-gig-crowd-sing-Happy-Birthday-guitarist-Dan-Donegan.html#ixzz4GK1oL2Wo
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