Crimson Moon: How did the band get started?
Don: It was my big fat idea LOL , yes my big fat idea. About ten years ago I decided to get back into the world of music so I went out and bought myself a korg karma keyboard and started to write songs . Once I felt I had about a album worth of music I got in touch with Garry Fline {now the drummer and producer for Dream Aria}We started to record and I decided to bring in a female singer who could handle opera and rock as well as any of genre of music I might throw at hear. I found Ann Aria Burstyn on the Internet , brought her in to sing on Sun goddess and the rest is history.
Crimson Moon: What kind of music do you play?
Don: We are a multi genre band with move within rock / goth / prog rock / opera / classical / ambient / world / heavy metal / hard rock
Crimson Moon: How has the band response been?
Don: We have had great response from printed and non-printed magazines {many 10/10 reviews even a 12 /10 review}Great response from radio stations {being played on over 600 radio stations}Great response from Fans from around the world {over 220,000 on myspace}From our Fans response we are always at the top of the myspace GLOBAL OVERALL WORLD progressive charts {today #4 just below the Muse #2}Just no response from record companies
Crimson Moon: Where did the band name come from?
Don: Ann came up with the name Dream Aria and we all liked it right away.
Dream: A succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep. An involuntary vision occurring to a person when awake. A vision voluntarily indulged in while awake: daydream, reverie something of an unreal beauty, charm or excellence.
Aria: A lyrical song for a solo voice with orchestral accompaniment, generally expressing intense emotion. It’s found in opera. A deep harmony passage. The vocal-singing expression for a solo singer, adding chorus and instruments based on lyric and/or dramatic and poetic narrative.
Crimson Moon: Introduce the band members
Don: Ann Aria Burstyn: lead vocals
Don Stagg: keyboards
Garry Flint: drums
Jon Casselman: bass guitar
Mark Crossley: lead guitar
Crimson Moon: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
Don: I wrote most of the music from the first two CD’s with Garry chipping in a couple of songs, but the new CD Fallen Angel is more of a collective.
Crimson Moon: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
Don: Ann wrote most of the lyrics for the last two CD’s after listening to the songs and also hearing my feeling of what I was thinking about while writing the song.
Crimson Moon: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Don: We have three CD’s
In the wake 2005
Transcend 2008
Fallen Angel 2011
Crimson Moon: Tell me about some the songs on the latest CD?
Don: We decided as a group to get a little harder edge for Fallen Angel , my feeling was I needed to show the two extremes dark and light, hard and soft , loud and quiet, good and evil because I felt to feel one extreme fully you needed to show the other extreme. In Fallen Angel I wanted to approach subject that were very dark , for example for Winter Storm the story line was World War 2 In the Winter of 1942 was a German offensive to relieve the 6th army forces during the Battle of Stalingrad this was one of the turning points in the war . This frozen hell where many young German and Russians both gave there lives for there country with only a Christmas Day stopping the killing. In the end Germans mounted an effort reminiscent of the Charge of the Light Brigade , only to find themselves In the Valley of Death. They called this mission Operation Winter Storm.
Crimson Moon: Do you have any side projects?
Don: The only side project I have had the last 8 years was a project that was called Pirates Tales
it was going to be a CD with a bunch of bands included ELP doing songs about pirates , it was going to come with a large formate comic book telling the different stories. The song we did for the CD was called Anne Bonny based on a real female pirate who lived and died her own way.
Crimson Moon: Who are some of your musical influences?
Don: I enjoy early Genesis , ELP, Yes, classical , world
Crimson Moon: Which current bands?
Don: right now I am listening to Porcupine Tree
Crimson Moon: What is the band like when you play live?
Don: Check us out on you tube
Crimson Moon: What was the best band you played with?
Don: Dream Aria
Crimson Moon: Have you guys ever played in another country?
Don: I have not but a couple of the other members have
Crimson Moon: How big of crowd shows up at shows usually?
Don: 200-300 but we are hoping that when we hit the road again it will be bigger
Crimson Moon: How is the crowd response when you play?
Don: Great -at one show the crowd was singing along
Crimson Moon: What is the scene like over in your country?
Don: We do not have a very large Canadian fan base , our fan base is in Europe and parts of the US
Crimson Moon: What made you want to be in this band? And if you weren’t in this band what would you being doing now?
Don: WOW , being the one that started Dream Aria its hard for me to answer this question , and if I was not in this band I guess Musical Box or Porcupine Tree would be cool.
Crimson Moon: What does the future hold for the band??
Don: I wish I had a crystal ball , what I would want would be to get sign and travel the world
Contact them at:
http://www.myspace.com/dreamariacanada
