{"id":664,"date":"2002-04-11T02:09:00","date_gmt":"2002-04-11T02:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/?p=664"},"modified":"2024-03-27T02:10:22","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T02:10:22","slug":"whatever-it-takes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/?p=664","title":{"rendered":"Whatever it takes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Die Trying is the kind of band that, in pursuing stardom, it may live up to its own name<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Die
Die Trying experiments with Triumph of the Will-<\/em>like camera angles. That\u2019s Jaasen up front.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Live! 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 12, CD release party at Scratch 8 Billiards, 120 I St., Old Sacramento, all ages, $8, with LUXT, Simplistic, Snapdraggin and Malcom Bliss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

T<\/strong>he four young lads from Sacramento\u2019s <\/strong>Die Trying have decided, for either anonymity\u2019s sake or just being altogether difficult, to not use their last names. So, since its beginning last July, the band\u2019s lineup is Jaasen on vocals, Steve on bass, Matt on drums and Jack on guitar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If not for Die Trying\u2019s stunning debut, Sparrows<\/em>\u2014about to be released on Papa Roach\u2019s Evolver Records imprint\u2014and its impressive live show, the band might be hard pressed to get those idiosyncrasies by anyone. After all, any act concerned with whether or not its name is written in all lowercase type usually has more internal problems than it\u2019s willing to divulge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sparrows<\/em> was funded by Papa Roach\u2019s frontman, Coby Dick, who assumed the executive producer role along with co-production credits. Although it will come out on Evolver, it won\u2019t go through the distribution setup DreamWorks\u2014Papa Roach\u2019s label\u2014has with Universal Music. True to its DIY ethic, Die Trying will release its first pressing and hand-deliver it to record shops, and will be flogging the product at its live shows. The 23-minute, seven-song-platter represents Die Trying\u2019s sound accurately; it\u2019s an amalgam of snotty rock \u2019n\u2019 roll metal riffage, and well-structured, radio-friendly anthems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Die Trying\u2019s members may claim such influences as Anne Rice novels, Zao, Guns N\u2019 Roses, 311, Bj\u00f6rk, Fugazi, Stone Temple Pilots and Danzig, but don\u2019t be misled. This is big guitar rock, laden with swirling open chords, crunching metal riffs \u00e0 la early Iron Maiden and topped with one of the most distinctive nasal vocal styles to grace the Sacramento Valley. One listen to the catchy title track about \u201chow over time love fades and coming to terms with the fact that everything does end\u201d or the band\u2019s slam-dunk single, \u201cLo Pan,\u201d should be a more than decent introduction to Die Trying\u2019s unique blend of pop-punk, rock and metal styles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaasen, the big-voiced frontman who works part time at a tattoo shop, has been lobbying obsessively for Die Trying since the band started up last year. You couldn\u2019t see him anywhere without hearing about his band, whether it was recording, flyering the local haunts or playing. \u201cWe really believe that we have to do everything and anything to accomplish our dreams,\u201d the singer admits, elaborating: \u201cRecently, I woke up in a dream-like state and called [guitarist] Jack and said, \u2018Let\u2019s take over the airwaves today!\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the storyline of the hit-movie Airheads<\/em>, Jaasen and Jack did just that. \u201cWe snuck into a secured building and lied to security,\u201d says Jaasen, recalling how the two of them entered the Renaissance Tower downtown, atop which KWOD is located. \u201cWe then demanded [KWOD DJ] Nick Monroe play us. He kicked us out quickly, but called us back a half-hour later and said he would play \u2018Lo Pan.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What ensued was 15 minutes of prime airtime dedicated to the band\u2019s cell-phone calls, its seemingly ill-fated and awkward entry into the studio and, most importantly, its music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Die Trying\u2019s favorite local acts\u2014Tenfold, Simplistic, 7th Standard, Key to Arson, Papa Roach and Long Drive Home\u2014have played a crucial role in helping to develop its fan base. Although not a headline act yet, Die Trying has been afforded the opportunity to play backyard radio parties with Papa Roach, support slots for 26 Weeks and Long Drive Home, and even the Crest Theatre. \u201cWe played [the Crest] with Tenfold and my mom watched us for the first time,\u201d Jaasen says. \u201cI almost cried. It was a very emotional set and the crowd rocked. I can\u2019t thank [Tenfold] enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The band\u2019s goals for this year are pretty straightforward. \u201cWe want to play as much as possible,\u201d Jaasen exclaims. Not afraid to express his real desires, in true Die Trying fashion, he adds: \u201cWe also want to expand our fan base, do some showcasing in Hollywood for the industry swine and kiss lots of girls!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you argue with that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(SN&R)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Die Trying is the kind of band that, in pursuing stardom, it may live up to its own name Live! 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 12, CD release party at Scratch 8 Billiards, 120 I St., Old Sacramento, all ages, $8, with LUXT, Simplistic, Snapdraggin and Malcom Bliss. The four young lads from Sacramento\u2019s Die Trying have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=664"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":665,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664\/revisions\/665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}