Date: 11/13/03
Interview and Photos: Jason Buffalow

Related Items:
Rider Link - Dan Noonan
Rider Link - Dan Noonan

For those who don't know, Dan Noonan is a wakeboarder from southern California. He is friends to many of us in the state and he took a few moments to catch me up on his recent success.

Who is Depswa for those that have not heard yet?
Jeremy Penick: Lead Vocals, Guitars
Dan Noonan: Guitars, Vocals
James Mills: Guitars,Vocals
Ryan Burchfield: Bass, Vocals
Gordon Heckaman: Drums, Samples

Give me the quick Depswa story.
It was only some five years ago the Los Angeles-based Depswa was considered perhaps one of the heaviest burgeoning bands in California. At the time, such an accolade was one the group was proud to be associated with. But, more recently, as the hard-working young musicians searched to discover their true musical identity, the heavy expectations became a creative burden.

"After writing one way for a long time, we came to the realization that if we were trying to write songs to appease people with one particular kind of taste, then we weren't being true to ourselves," says guitarist Dan Noonan. "It got to the point where we were throwing away songs because we convinced ourselves that, 'Oh, people won't like this.' But it soon became clear that most of all, we needed to write the songs we liked. If other people liked them too, great."

Dan Noonan

"That decision turned everything around," says vocalist and founding member Jeremy Penick. "To do anything else, we knew, would have been totally plastic."

Their fateful determination spurred the band forward with a musical and performance output that eventually found them in the studio recording the forthcoming Two Angels and a Dream, their Geffen Records and full-length debut. Sessions began in February 2002 with producer Howard Benson (P.O.D., Blindside, Mötorhead) and engineer Mike Plotnikoff (Kiss, P.O.D., Cranberries) at a pair of Southern California studios, in both Valley Village and Calabasas. Recording continued on and off throughout that winter before acclaimed mixing agent Chris Lord-Alge was welcomed into the process.

What’s up with the new album that got released nationwide this year?
Our album, "Two Angels and a Dream," hit stores on June 3rd and we're all really excited every time we go into a CD store and see it on the shelves. It's kind of like an affirmation that our efforts and hard work are starting to pay off (Hopefully!). The album is comprised of songs written primarily over the past two years.

Two Angels and a Dream thrives under a compelling and often convention-defying mix: raucous, ringing guitars; driving, frequently chomping rock rhythms; wide-ranging, sincerely shaped vocals; and engaging arrangements, all cast within a powerful melodic current. On this dramatic sonic canvas, songs shift from such explosive, dynamic numbers as "This Time" with backing vocals by Brad Kane (Disney's Aladdin & The King of Thieves) to such tracks as the stirring, unplugged "The Traveler's Song" with guest backing vocals by solo artist Sierra Swan (Cold, Black Eyed Peas). "The Prom Song" features added programming from former Yes contributing keyboardist Igor Khoroshev.

Thematically, Two Angels and a Dream explores the inner-workings of both self-doubt and self-confidence, relationships gone hopelessly wrong and wonderfully right, and the fragile balancing act that determines the course of so many lives. "All the songs are very close to the heart," says Jeremy, "but the motivations change all the time."

Dan Noonan

Give me the history of how Depswa got here.
The story of Depswa traces back to Modesto, California in the mid-1990s when guitarist and music-obsessed college student Jeremy Penick launched the progressive instrumental trio, Carcinogen. After releasing a 4-song EP, Cleansing, in 1995, the group saw its star steadily rise on the Northern California rock club scene. Early the following year, the group opened the door to new bassist and well-regarded local musician Ryan Burchfield, a move that coincided with Penick's decision to tackle vocal duties and shift focus from writing six-minute instrumental pieces to a more song-oriented approach.

1998 found Carcinogen earning new fans both through the release of a self-titled 6-song EP and an emerging reputation for blistering live shows on stages across Modesto, Sacramento and San Francisco. After playing a series of highly successful gigs in Los Angeles late that year, the band permanently relocated to the City of Angels and in February 1999 recruited Penick's longtime friend and former bandmate Dan Noonan to take on guitar duties. The move sparked a creative awakening for the band, one that centered on greater attention to song structure and arrangements along with Penick's fast-changing vocal style.

"When we moved down to L.A. with Dan, we knew what we all wanted to do," says Penick. "It came to a point, maybe it was part of a maturity process, but I realized I didn't want to be like everyone else. For so long, I was trying to sing in a way that wasn't me, trying to emulate other people. Eventually, I had to get real. That meant getting over my fear of singing, really singing. When that finally happened, it opened up our music overall and everything just started to feel really good."

Depswa

With that, Carcinogen became Depswa, a Swahili word meaning "deep behind the moon." It is also a South American term for tribal healer. The newly monikered group went on to record the 4-song EP, Faithless, in early 2000, a year that saw extensive touring through California and Arizona, marked by notably packed-house concerts at L.A.'s Whiskey, Roxy, Viper Room and Troubadour. The Depswa team reached fighting weight with the October, 2001 addition of drummer Gordon Heckaman and the Spring, 2002 enlistment of second guitarist and NorCal native James Mills (just in time for him to contribute to a pair of tracks during the Two Angels sessions).

For Depswa, who have already shared stages with the likes of Nickelback, Down, Disturbed, Sevendust, Stone Sour, Rob Zombie, Danzig, Chimaria, 40 Below Summer, Kottonmouth Kings, etc., the best possible affirmation of their efforts came a year ago when they played a sold-out New Year's Eve show before 2,500 fans in their old Modesto stomping grounds. "I walked out on stage and got chills," says Ryan. "The place was going wild and I had an ear-to-ear grin on my face."

In the fall of 2002, the band embarked on their first nationwide tour, playing in support of Illinois rockers Mudvayne and Ann Arbor's TapRoot. "On that tour," says Ryan, "every night we got out on stage we just looked at each other as if to say, 'Wow! We're getting that chance to have a chance.' It's already been an amazing experience and nobody out there has even heard the record yet."

Depswa

Where are you at right now?
As for where we are at right now in our career. At the moment...we're actually in NY city. We are doing a live TV show today called IMX on the cable station Fuse (Much Music which is like MTV and the show is similar to TRL). Previously, viewers had voted on our video amongst others (Deftones, Sugar Ray, Grade 8, Revis, etc.). We won and they have been playing our video pretty steadily ever since. We're only here for like one day, then we fly back to L.A. Then we're gonna be back in L.A. just gearing up for Ozzfest. We'll be playing with bands like Manson, Ozzy, Korn, Disturbed, Chevelle, etc. We're all pretty stoked on it and gonna just play our asses off.

What extreme sports are you guys into?
We are all avid extreme sports fans and, when we're not on tour, you can find us surfing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, skating, etc. I would say that I'm the most avid wakeboarder and snowboarder, but I try to get the other guys out as much as possible. When I have any time off, I try to get to the mountain or on the water as much as possible. I'd say I wakeboard two times a week at least when we have a break.

Two years ago, we brought Jeremy snowboarding. The first run was pretty brutal...face plants galore. But by the second run, he had it down and was keeping up with the pack. I think we even had him jumping by the end of the day. He was immediately hooked. Gordon, James and Ryan are stoked on wakeboarding. Although James hasn't tried it yet, he keeps asking me to take him out. He's actually been in the boat a couple times, but didn't get a chance to strap a board on.

We've all also skateboarded since we were little, but I'd say James, Ryan, and Jeremy are the best in that area. I suck and usually get hurt!

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