NEWS4U FEBRUARY 2022 | MUSIC
DR. RENDEZ Three years in, genre-bending local band "re-finding footing" but still open to new directions
T
he last time News 4U checked in on Dr. Rendezvous, one of the tri-state's most musically-ambitious
bands,
the
four
members were rehearsing in the front room of a north side home, powerfully blowing through a set of thrillingly chaotic songs at top volume - songs tapped for an upcoming EP that would fuse 90's rock and progressive rock with the force of metal and energy of punk. It was November of 2020 - smack dab in the middle of the pandemic - and everything, apart from the collapse of society, was looking up for this genre-bending group of extremely talented musicians. Or so it seemed. What followed, instead, was a lineup shake-up at the mic and, subsequently, a shelving of the recordings completed with local producer Steve Tyner - and, ultimately, a long stretch between live shows. But after drafting in a new
"
vocalist last year, Dr. Rendezvous returned to the stage, testing out a Dru Harmes-fronted configuration at a couple of local gigs. As bassist Andrew Logan notes, "we were refinding our footing."
the overall effect is quite different from your standard drop-D tuning sludge-fest.
With Harmes' more aggressive style of singing, the band took the opportunity to branch out even more and explore a heavier sound. This approach resulted in the recent Tyner-recorded single "Harakiri/Jigai" - two and a half minutes of borderline death metal. And yet, with Photos: Benji Koelling (@benko.creative)
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the signature tone of guitarist Josh Taleno - slightly phased and cleanly-distorted
