The release of Dede’s solo record, “Music from The Sandman’s Coming” is now available on bandcamp at www.dedebooth.bandcamp.com, and from now until 6/1, the record can be your’s, free!
Although this is Dede’s first solo record and first instrumental release, she states, “this is not the first and only, this is the first of many”.
Dede Booth will be performing a rare and unplugged special Sententia set at Battle Wounds, a benefit concert put on by Hope2Cope. This will be Sententia’s first performance since December, 2010, and Dede’s first performance since her vocal cord injury. The gig is set for April 21st, at Johnny D’s. The concert is to raise self-injury awareness, in which all proceeds will be benefiting the 3East program at McLean Hospital, an adolescent residential program that treats self-injury and other behavioral addictions. Click on the events link for showtime details.
Sententia will be headlining a Boston benefit concert run by arts-based social action group, Hope2Cope. All proceeds to the concert will be going to raise self-injury awareness; charities include the National Self-Injury Foundation and the 3East Institute of McLean Hospital. Date and time for the event to be announced.
A new method of treatment for Dede’s vocal injury is being tried out. Dede began two daily doses of steam ventilization, done through nose and mouth deep breathing and steam inhalation. The treatment is done twice daily at 15 minute intervals and so far seems to be having a positive effect on Dede’s voice.
“I was skeptical at first”, comments Dede, “but it seems to be helping quite a bit. I just put on this Darth Vadar like mask and do the treatment every morning and night for 15 minutes. So far it really seems to be opening up my airway and keeping my vocal cords from tightening. Things just feel looser. And I’m able to sing without as much of a strain or any kind of post-singing or talking voice pain. My range is still incredibly small, but the lessening of pain is huge.”
Dede’s begun practicing songs for Another Afterlife again. As far as changing her mind on her role as lead singer or whether she will continue auditioning, Dede says that “I really don’t want to make a decision at this time and say yes or no. I’m still far from being as vocally strong as I need to be, but the fact that there’s improvement is a great sign. So if I can sing, then yes, of course I want to remain the band’s lead singer. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop the auditioning process either. I think in the end, I may just choose to sing lead on some or most of the record, and look for one or two guest singers who can add a greater depth to some of the songs than I am no longer capable of adding. We’ll see. It’s an ongoing process and I’m not discouraged in the least. This record is going to get finished, and when it is, I hope the fans are just as prouf of it as I am”.
Dede is also keeping her fingers crossed in being accepted into an ACT support group in January to help limit the amount of stress that exacerbates a vocal strain. And as solos for the record and bass parts are being recorded and mixed, the album is in great shape, patiently waiting for that finishing vocal touch.
After careful and countless thought, Sententia has decided to audition for a new singer. As of last week, the process is underway. Regarding the decision, this is what Dede had to say:
“This is obviously a major decision for me to make. And although it is a sad decision, it is also the right decision. My voice has been a wreck for the past year, and I can no longer be in denial of its condition. In the end, it is the music that is calling the shots, not me, and I will not stand in the way and compromise the integrity of this record. It is therefore, my decision to step down as lead singer.
That is not to say that I won’t decide to sing lead again. Without knowing when or if I will recover from my voice disorder, it just seems appropriate to spend the time looking for a fresh voice rather than waste this time in limbo; hoping and putting unnecessary pressure on myself. I’d rather move forward with the band than take a hiatus. After all, it is bands like Katatonia that inspire me to keep moving forward despite obstacles. Down the road, this obstacle will be a mere speed bump on our journey. That I’m sure of.”
Details on the auditions will be announced as they unfold.
Congratulations to Sara Cashman for winning the Second Chances contest. We got a lot of great responses, but her submission is what Dede says “I couldn’t have crawled into my own brain better than what her words said to me.” And as promised, Cashman’s words will appear in some “not-so-conventional” spoken word sections on the record.
Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry. Stay tuned for more updates from the band.
Originally from the Frution EP, the remastered, Rise Above, is here! Originally conceived on July 9, 2005. What started as an acoustic blueprint and set of lyrics turned into what would be Dede and guitarist, Matt Nazarro’s first collaboration together. Here, Dede talks for the first time about the writing process and lyrical content (posted on the lyrcis page) of this classic, Sententia piece.
“I remember the first thing I came up with was the instrumental section. It was the first time I had the courage and confidence (and to this day is still one of my favorite instrumental sections written) to tackle bringing the instrumental prog element into my songwriting. I originally wanted to bring the instrumental to Left Handed Thieves. I even remember playing it in front of their guitarist, excited and hoping he would want to add something to it and turn it into a new song. That of course never came to be, and after my departure with the band, I decided to expand on the song and see if it could become my first try at writing music for my band-to-be.
Matt and I sat down for the first time in his basement one night, the purpose being to put something together where my role was not only to serve as drummer, but to share my songs with him so he could add something different to them. I think I had originally planned on showing him my idea, letting him practically rewrite the whole thing, and I would let myself continue to be behind the scenes as the drummer. What happened though was totally not what either of us expected, a full on 100% collaboration. I hadn’t intended on playing Rise Above for Matt that night. He was working out this beautiful melody on his acoustic guitar, and I was jamming along on his drumset. We had a cool groove going along, something that was melancholic, and was driving at the same time. We were really excited about what we were coming up with, and I quickly had the idea to play the rhythm guitar part over Matt’s lead. With two acoustics layering over one another, we knew we had something strong to work with. I started to sing along, we went from there, and within a few rehearsals (which really felt like fun, hangout jam sessions), we had the idea for our first song as Sententia.
I hold a very special place in my heart with these lyrics. I think these lyrics are so special to me because I’m still interpreting these words differently anytime I listen to them. I got the idea from the image of a person staring at themselves in the mirror, and having their reflection speak to them as an intervention that the person didn’t realize they needed. Personally, I was going through a time where the overly inundating existentialist life questions I often wonder about, were circling through my head at a seemingly unhealthy rate. I couldn’t help but dwell on the curiosity of my mind. One night, I found myself staring in my bathroom mirror. I stared at myself without blinking, and suddenly pictured my reflection speaking to me. Was I giving myself an intervention I wasn’t aware that I needed? I don’t know. Perhaps. Thoughts tend to be self-reflections whether we choose to realize it or not. But as I stared at myself in that bathroom mirror, my thoughts drafted what would become the lyrics to Rise Above. These words take on a different meaning, a different perspective depending on how I’m feeling, and that’s what I think is great about these words (and these types of lyrics in general).
This remaster isn’t meant to be perfection within a time that was not. It’s simply meant to be a rendering of what I had intended on, but didn’t know how to make physical. I purposely tried not to make this remaster “perfect” because I wanted to keep the authenticity; the live, organic feel that Matt and I were connecting with, to stay in the music. That is afterall, the heart and soul of the song. I’m really proud of where this song was, and where it has gone, and hope people can feel something powerful out of it as well.”
Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of Sententia’s next album,Another Afterlife, and the direction that this band is continuing to move in.
Rise Above (Remastered)
Sententia
Sententia’s getting some great responses from you, the fans, who have sent them your thoughts of what second chances mean to you. The contest ends May 31st, so if you haven’t submitted a word or phrase that tells us what a second chance means to you, there’s still one month left to submit a response. And if you’ve already submitted a response but would like to submit another, we totally welcome the idea!
Responses can be emailed to band@sententia-music.com or tweeted @sententia_music.
Winner of the contest will be given album credit (unless they wish to remain anonymous) and a free copy of the upcoming record, “Another Afterlife”.
Thanks for everyone who’s participated. Keep those submissions coming!
Sententia would like your help in making their next record, “Another Afterlife”, even more special. Help Dede in her vocal rehab process AND contribute to the record in the following way:
“Another Afterlife” is about second chances. In an effort to be creative with Sententia, send the band your thoughts about the concept of a second chance. It can be anything as little as one word, to a few phrases. Just simply send your literary contribution as a tweet @sententia_music or email band@sententia-music.com. These phrases will be used as part of Dede’s voice therapy exercises. The most captivating responses will be recorded and will appear in a spoken word section of the record.
Send the band your thoughts from now through May 31st.
Good luck!
About Sententia
