Damon Fibraio: Press clippings

Excerpted from the sonata Arctica review from BB Kings, January, 2006

Since Sonata Arctica decided to endure this cross-country endeavor without the company of an opening band, each stop on the tour was to feature a local
opener. For New York City, we were treated to the music of Queen of the Ryche. As you may have gathered from the name, they are a local tribute band
to Queensryche. Although I had never seen them before, I had high expectations based purely on the fact that Symphony X’s bassist was up until recently
a member of the group. However, that’s enough about former members, on to the current members and their show!

The lead singer pretty much had the old school Geoff Tate look down pat, and had the voice to back it up. He was also accompanied by a female singer, presumably
assuming the role of Mary, who did a lot of backing vocals throughout the set, as well as some main vocals. The real shocker in the lineup was the keyboardist,
who actually turned out to be blind. Blind or not, this guy had some serious chops and the crowd really got behind him. After the end of the set, the
crowd was chanting “Keyboard guy! Keyboard guy!” as they exited the stage, which was very cool to see.

The band kicked things into gear with their rendition of “Sign of the Times”, and although a majority of the crowd was clearly there for Sonata, it became
obvious who was a Queensryche fan in the house - fists were pumping, lyrics were shouted and heads were banging. The female singer, Kelli sang the vocals
alone during “Anybody Listening” and this is where her voice really shined.

Queen of the Ryche continued to hammer through many Queensryche essentials, finally ending their set with the song from which they borrowed their name.
Anybody familiar with Queensryche knows that the beginning of this song is the time of truth for proving how well one can emulate Tate. Todd took this
opportunity to belt out the high note like nobody’s business, proving he deserves to be fronting a tribute to such a classic band. I’d recommend checking
out this tribute to anyone who enjoys Queensryche; it is definitely an enjoyable show.

Setlist:

Intro
Sign of the Times
Child of Fire
Walk in the Shadows
Anybody Listening
Breaking the Silence
I Don’t Believe in Love
Eyes of a Stranger
Take Hold of the Flame
Queen of the Ryche

Queen of the Ryche
took the stage to give us their Queensryche show. I had heard good things about this cover band that was spawned by a combination of cover and original
acts. As much of a fan of Queensryche as I am, I am very unfamiliar with a lot of their early work, which had me lost as the show started, I did not recognize
either one! I will say that despite not knowing the songs, I was surprised to no end listening to what sounded just like Geoff Tate. Seriously, this guy
sounded amazing, a physically imposing stage presence delivering an incredible range. The one thing that took a bit of getting used to was the presence
of a keyboard in place of a second guitar. At first, it was odd listening to those parts that are so closely associated with the strings translated to
the keys, but it worked. This was a tribute band, but theu did not settle on simply mimicking the band, they add their own flavor to the music, and it
sounds good. After the first pair of unknowns, they broke into a track that I did know, "I Walk in Shadows." Following that we got something a little different,
we got an original song from the band's back up singer, a young woman with a powerful voice, she sang a song that was fantastic and made me want to hear
more of her band's work,
dedLilith
. Next up, they had a surprise up their sleeves for us, they played Kiss' "Stutter" and Judas Priest's "Touch of Evil." They played both perfectly, particularly
the Priest cut, which is off my favorite Prist album, Painkiller. Then we were into the centerpiece of their set, a suite of songs from Queensryche's breakthrough
Operation: Mindcrime. They opened with "Revolution Calling" then moving into "Operation Mindcrime," "The Mission," and "Suite Sister Mary." This whole
section was great, the keyboards started to really sink in during this segment, I really liked the dimension they added, besides, the guy playing them
was very good. To end the set they went back to the back catalog, playing "Take Hold the Flame" and "Queen of the Reich." Overall, this was one of the
better cover bands that I have seen, granted I have not seen all that many, but these guys had the chops to back it up. This is definitely a band I would
be interested in seeing again.

This is hopefully a link to the whole note podcast where I was interviewed last year. Running time is about 74 minutes.

Contact: Kim Washburn
(909) 455-4316
kim@creativegeniuses.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Indie Band Days Before Tomorrow Wins the Coveted
L.A. Music Awards 2009 Record of the Year Award
Los Angeles, CA – November 5, 2009 – Days Before Tomorrow (DBT), one of rock and roll’s most anticipated new bands, has won the coveted 2009 L.A. Music Awards (LAMA) Record of the Year. The band will be a featured performer at the awards to be held on November 12, 2009 at the Avalon in Hollywood, CA.
Produced by one of rock ‘n roll’s most successful, multi-platinum record producers, Ron Nevison, Days Before Tomorrow recently released their first full-length album, The Sky is Falling. "I used the same approach producing The Sky Is Falling as I would with any of the classic bands I've worked with in the past. These guys had killer songs and great chops, so the whole thing was a blast to produce, and I'm really proud of what they delivered," said Nevison.
The Los Angeles Music Awards is the longest running red carpet event for independent musicians and filmmakers. The awards show was started in 1991 by Al Bowman and continues to pave the way for up- and-coming artists in the entertainment industry.
“Days Before Tomorrow represents the most cutting edge and unique style I have ever heard from an independent band,” says Al Bowman, founder and executive producer of LAMA. “In nearly two decades of producing award shows, I have never received an album like what they put together. Magnificent work!”
The Sky Is Falling is not your typical indie release. In addition to the legendary Nevison, the album was mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Earl Cohen (Christina Aguilera, Usher, Tina Turner.) This progressive body of work has the ingredients of a superstar release from a major label, with the creative freedom of independent artists.
The band has enjoyed an extraordinary number of positive reviews since the release of The Sky is Falling. Lead vocalist Eric Klein stated that the entire experience has been extremely gratifying. “To have your hard work recognized by such a prestigious music awards program and to work with Ron Nevison on the making of this record was an experience we'll never forget,” said Klein.
Guitarist Scott Kahn is honored to have won this award but also sings the praises of the men behind the production of their album, “Ron Nevison and Earl Cohen helped us to deliver an album that sounds as good, if not better, than many big-budget major label productions. We're so honored to have had the support of this incredible (and legendary) production team."
Days Before Tomorrow hails from Wayne, NJ and has been influenced by artists ranging
from the classic (Yes, Rush, Genesis, Styx) to the modern (Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, Marillion.) DBT has a sound that combines sophisticated musicianship with identifiable hooks and catchy vocal melodies - a nod to the past with a sound for tomorrow. DBT is Eric Klein (vocals), Scott Kahn (guitars), Derek Davodowich (guitars), Paul O’Keefe (bass), Damon Fibraio (keys), Jason Gianni (drums).
The band will be available for interviews and photo ops on November 11 and 12, and will perform a showcase on November 11 at the Whiskey a Go-Go in West Hollywood. Media advisory to come.
For more information on DBT visit www.daysbeforetomorrow.com or www.myspace.com/daysbeforetomorrow.
To find out more about the L.A. Music Awards, visit www.lamusicawards.com.