|
Dope
|
|
By Michele Stefancic
"I have every intention of taking this band as far as we can - to where we have protesters and picketers and people that think we're crazy, and think we're poisoning the youth because we're telling it like it is - instead of how you want it to be," says Edsel Dope of his hard-rock, New York band, Dope.
Dope released their debut CD Felons and Revolutionaries last year and their music is an attack on hypocrisy, questioning society, law enforcement and parenting. Edsel's lyrics take a hard look at America's social issues while presenting them to the backdrop of hard-rock industrial music, equaling pretty abrasive, yet enjoyable tunes.
During an in-person conversation, Edsel revealed the importance behind the street marketing approach he used to get his band off the ground, and tales of his former dope dealing days.
"My brother and I risked being behind bars for the rest of our life to be in this band. We sold drugs, that was some of the craziest times of my life that people can't even fathom," says Edsel from his tour bus.
Parents may be outraged to learn their children are looking up to a band that sold drugs to support their budding career, but Edsel admits, "it had to be done, and there was no other way around it. We had bills that had to be paid and it was a means to a better end."
"Selling was the only way I could make money quickly enough in order to get what we need to get done," says Edsel.
"I wasn't going to make it working as a bartender. That was the other aspect of what we were doing, we didn't want to be a local band. It was a big crazy masterminded plan and it worked."
Edsel says his dope dealing days lasted six months.
"We had to run around on the streets with 60 grams of coke in our bag and all this pot saying, 'if we get pinched tonight everything we worked so hard for is gone and we're in jail.' (We've got a web site) with our pictures on it and we're doing all this Internet stuff from our house, who knows how plugged into this shit the government and the Drug Enforcement Agency actually is?
A street marketing strategy was important in helping launch Dope.
It would seem this tactic has worked to Dope's advantage. Edsel says in the first two months his record being in record stores, he's outsold bands like Orgy in their first two months of sales, even though Dope hasn't reached commercial success.
"We're selling records based on touring. We're not selling records because somebody heard us on the radio. We're selling records because somebody saw us live, or someone told a friend and then they bought the record - it's all word of mouth."
Edsel comes off as intelligent, well-informed and educated when speaking about the music industry's greater picture.
"Everything is so expensive these days for kids, that's why in the States our record is $10, that was something we fought for. We lose money because it means the record is selling for less, which means we're making less and I don't care."
Dope supporters' bucks don't stop there, "I feel it's my job in the 30 minutes I've been given to perform (in concert), to give (fans) all I can, so that kids can say it was a great show and it was worth $20."
Although Felons and Revolutionaires is a fairly impressive collection containing controversial images and lyrics, always appealing to the teenage music demographic, Dope's selling point is their live show. Presenting his angry music night after night in a simplistic theatrical form, Edsel finds his band's performances therapeutic.
"I think it's definitely a release to be able to go out there and get everything I have out of my system. There will be plenty of days where I'll be sitting around and I'm like 'I'm just not ready to do this.' As soon as I hear (the music) I'm like 'oh shit here we go,' I look down and there's! the kids, I'm like forget it, everything breaks loose."
Edsel says he thinks what sets his band apart from other bands out there today is the fact that Dope doesn't "half-ass it (live show), ever."
"I think I've tried. There's been days where we've played a show that was poorly promoted or something and there's only a couple hundred kids out there and you go on stage wanting to not give everything you have because it's just not worth it tonight, and by 30 seconds of the first song you just go into auto pilot and things go insane. By the end of the set you're like there were 200 kids here but they're all dead now, that was a great show."
Edsel, a huge fan of both Sevendust and Britney Spears, says Dope's future includes plenty of touring opportunities.
”Touring is our main focus right now, to keep playing as many nights as we can, anywhere that they will let us. It's really really important to me to play with several types of! bands, wherever they'll let us go, we'll go. I'll even play with Fleetwood Mac, light their stage on fire," says Edsel.
For more information on Dope, or to catch them live visit www.dopeweb.com.
Copyright 2000, BallBuster, The Official Int'l Underground Hard Music Report |
Edsel along with older brother Simon and bandmates Tripp Eisen (guitar), Presten Nash (drums) and Acey Slade (bass) are a rarity in hard rock today and are a welcomed breath of fresh air to fans of the industrial scene.
"(I think) you should give stuff away for free and if it's worth buying, then (fans) will buy it. We've given away so many sampler tapes on tour with three songs on it from the 13-song record, that's 20 per cent of the album we're giving away for free. I think that's fair, that's why I love listening booths in record stores. I was a kid who got ripped off when buying records. That's why I think street marketing is important 'cause you're taking it right to them."
