by Kenneth Morton

Graystar is a hard working band based out of Albany, NY who has just released a new EP Between Dreams And Waking on their own Urban Disaster imprint. Fans of My Chemical Romance and The Starting Line absolutely need to check into what this talented band has to offer. These guys have even been animated on the popular Jimmy Neutron cartoon!!! Here is a recent interview Highwire Daze did with founding member Dylan Storm...

You appeared in Jimmy Neutron. How did that come about?
When we were working with Drive Thru out in Sherman Oaks, CA, we were approached by the president of Nickelodeon and we ended up showcasing for her and playing a couple of songs – and she dug the image. Obviously Graystar was a little too heavy for Nickelodeon Records, and she decided that she still wanted to work with us, so she wanted us to be animated on Jimmy Neutron. We were like, “Alright.” So we flew out to California again, we read lines and sang a couple of songs for them and they ended up animating us as characters. We’re in an episode which is actually pretty amazing.

I see your credit here on IMDB. Jimmy Neutron and the Attack of the Twonkies!
That’s right! It was awesome!

What did you think of your animated self?
It was so realistic. I had my hair dye job, a backwards hat, a spiked belt, a nose piercing – it was pretty amazing. That was when my sister was in the band. She’s not in the band anymore, but I thought I’d say something about her.

What was it like opening for The Used? Did you get to meet those guys?
We hung out with The Used. Burt was a great guy and I hung out with the guitar player Quinn as well before we went on. I had told them that maybe they could watch the set – and they were actually right up in front and watched the set – and after they told us that really dug it and they had heard of Graystar before, which was cool. We actually meet a lot of bands, from Aiden to Finch to The Starting Line and Underoath. They’re pretty much all of our influences, so it’s actually great to hang out with the bands.

You mentioned in your bio that you may have been one of the youngest performers to play at CBGB’s. What’s the story behind that?
CBGB’s is a bar in New York City, so they usually don’t allow a 13-14 year old punk band to come in and play. But when we were younger when we first formed Graystar, we were formally signed to Epic Records. We were working in New York City a lot, so we were playing CBGB’s. And one of the guys told us that “Dylan’s like the youngest kid to ever play here.” I was 13 and shredding at CBGB’s. I mean, c’mon – freakin Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols and Joey Ramone rocked that stage for 30 years of their lives!

So your band was once signed to Epic Records?
Back in ‘99 and 2000 when I and Chelsea were Graystar, we actually signed a deal with Epic Records with the vice president Peter Robinson who signed Dave Matthews to Columbia. He actually found us. We just released a demo with them, and that didn’t go too far, but whatever. We were pretty much selling out, to be honest with you. It’s a dog eat dog world out there. We were better off doing it on our own.

Would you want to be on a major label again?
Yes, because the material that we have now has such high potential, I feel the only reason to really get the music out there now is to really go with a major or a big indie. It’s so hard to do it on your own. We’re trying!

Where do you get the ideas for some of the lyrics?
Well, my mom actually passed away in ‘03, so ever since then – it was like a tragic death so own music of kind of influenced by that. And like friendship – I have some songs that are about anti-war. It’s all from the heart. I don’t sit down and tell myself what I’m going to write – it’s just whatever flows.

Is there any story or concept behind the album title Between Dreams And Waking?
It’s just like you’re in this state between – you’re kind of like in a daze. And the record is just like about sorrow and death and breakup – it’s kind of like you’re confused. There are a lot of meanings behind it. I guess everyone takes it in a different way.

Have you guys ever played out here in Los Angeles or do you plan to do so in the future?
We haven’t yet – we’re recorded out there. Of course we plan on coming out. We want to do tours and come out West. I want to eventually have my own apartment out West. I’m actually good friends with Lovehatehero. I saw that Kevin was on your Myspace page for awhile there. He’s the old guitarist from Graystar. When Lovehatehero was on the East Coast, they scooped him up – those bastards! But we’re actually all best friends. It’s a small world after all…

Do you have messages for people who might be into checking out your music?
Yeah! Just keep their eyes open for Graystar. I just want people to check out Graystar and to believe in what they want to do – and to take it all the way. That’s what I do with my music…

Graystar links

Graystar on Myspace: Their Official Myspace Page!
The Highwire Daze Home Page: Return to the Main Page!

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