1. If I knew absolutely nothing about Dendura,
how would you describe the group’s music to me?
-- We are an Egyptian-inspired, progressive metal
band. We incorporate Egyptian and Middle Eastern modes and scales into
our music and our lyrics tell stories from Egyptian mythology.
2. If I were to buy your new album New Life,
what songs should I pay particular attention to and why?
-- 1) “I Have a Gun” - because it
is the most popular from the album and appeals to a wider audience
2) “Symphony” - because it maintains the integrity of our
style, which is progressive 3) “Isis” - because it is the
most representational of our Egyptian theme and sound
3. When and where did the band form, and where didthe
name come from? -- The band formed
in 2004 and originally came together in Kalamazoo (West Michigan). However,
within the past four years, Grand Rapids (About one hour away in West Michigan)
became our home base. The name came from an ancient Egyptian healing temple
near Luxor, Egypt, called Dendera. The temple also contains the Temple of
Hathor who was the Goddess of love, music and maternity. We often use this
imagery in our artwork.
4.
What was your worst on stage experience? What was your
best?
-- Actually there was a time we did a show that
we would consider to be both the best and worst performance. It was the
worst being that Paul, the lead guitarist, had a broken wrist and despite
his pain, still performed. There were also technical difficulties with
the keyboard preventing us from using it. It was, at the same time, one
of the best shows because it was the first time we performed with a live
belly dancer, the place was packed, and there were several people in
the audience we didn't know who were chanting our lyrics. We’re
also playing the Flight of the Valkyries festival with Unexpect and Shadowside
in June and we’re definitely looking forward to that show.
5. Do you think that the Internet (whether it be Internet
radio, legal downloading, MySpace, streaming audio, etc.) is a good tool
for musicians or is it a bad thing because it hinders profits?
-- It is definitely a good thing. Having a MySpace
page and streaming audio brings your music to millions of listeners who might
not otherwise be able to hear it. Our MySpace page also helped us get signed
to KillZone Records.
