The members:
Deadstream is guitarists David Haupt and Mike Flynn, Dave Smith on bass and drummer Chris Rokas — former lead singer Darryl Sokoll also was a member for the band’s debut album. The members hail from Taylor and Southgate.
The history:
Members of Deadstream partook in separate local bands during the 1980s: Flynn and Rokas played in Tuesday’s Child, while Haupt, owner of the Rock Box music store in Southgate, and Smith were in Hogue Project. As grunge exploded in the early to mid ’90s, metal music declined and the foursome gradually fell out of the music scene.
But it was the night before Thanksgiving in 1998 that brought the guys together at a mutual friend’s house, which led to a conversation about music and how much they missed playing in bands. After the holidays, the quartet decided to get together and jam on some Dio, Led Zeppelin and Rush songs — soon enough, the band started writing originals, nine of which appear on the band’s new self-titled debut record.
What's up with the name:
“There’s a river and a road up north that is called Deadstream,” said Rokas, adding that a fishing trip with Flynn led to the group adopting it as its moniker.
The style:
There’s one word to describe Deadstream’s sound — metal; its style clearly nods to the glory of the genre in the early 1980s through soaring guitars and fist pumping rhythms.
“While individually our taste in music varies greatly, there’s enough common ground with bands like Iron Maiden, Ted Nugent and Robin Trower,” Haupt said. “Our goal would be to have the flexibilities in genres like Led Zeppelin and the musicality of Dream Theater — without so much practice.”
Got anything recorded?
The group recently celebrated the drop of Deadstream with a release party in Monroe, which was recorded earlier this year. The disc is available at all Detroit Music Retailers Collective stores (including the Rock Box, 14432 Northline Road) where you can check it out in one of the shop’s listening booths.
Tell us your future?
While the band hopes to compose new tracks and spread the word about the disc, it first must find a frontman to replace the departed Sokoll.
“Right now, we need a singer,” Flynn said. “We have started working on new songs and hope to find someone to fill in on vocals.”
Anyone interested in auditioning should e-mail the group at deadstreamband@aol.com.
“We have a friend who just graduated film school and wants to do a video,” Flynn added. “I’m sure it’ll just be a matter of time before we’re lip syncing it on TRL!”
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