Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Graham (dysfunctional Family)
Hi Brian , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Dysfunctional Family is a 4 piece heavy metal band out of Springfield,Il. The band started in 2010 with Brian Graham (The Phantom Lordz-Metallica Tribute) on rhythm guitar and vocals, Greg Graham on Bass guitar, Tyler Landess (Enamel,Lick Creek,currently lead guitar for Upchurch) on lead guitar, and Brandon Jennings on the drums. It was pretty much everyone’s first experience in a band booking and playing live gigs. We played in the Springfield area mainly but also played a few gigs in surrounding areas including two gigs at Pop’s in Sauget with several other musical acts. Our ages ranged from teenager to 50’s. With blood relation in the band (Brian and Greg) and the various age differences and inexperience in trying to put this all together we truly were a Dysfunctional Family! We recorded an album that is now available on all streaming platforms called Dysfunctional and built up a small following but we found it pretty difficult to find gigs at the time for original hard rock music in the area. Soon life took us all in different directions and we called it quits in 2014. We had a brief reunion in 2021 playing a couple of gigs in Springfield but that was the end until July of 2023. We resurrected the band once again with Andrew Sorenson joining the band on lead guitar and Jason Webster temporarily on the drums. In February of 2024 Shaun Tobin joined the band full time on the drums and the lineup was set. We began recording our second full length album and have four singles currently out on all streaming platforms and have played some fun gigs over the last year and a half and shared the stage with some incredible bands most notably opening for Firewind (Gus G-Ozzy) Immortal Guardian, and Edge of Paradise at Danenberger Family Vineyards, and The Phantom Lordz ( A Tribute to Metallica) We are looking to branch out and rock stages all over the area in the upcoming years.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey has been a long one to get to the point that we are at currently. We all have full time jobs and/or families to balance out. We have had multiple band member changes. The musical landscape is continuously changing. We have been fortunate to live in a city that has several really unique live music settings and owners that will embrace original music in the style that we play. The biggest struggle is getting in contact with bar and venue owners and get responses outside of the Springfield area to play. We will continue to reach out and network with other bands to try and bring the music we love to other areas so St Louis bands and venues if you’re reading hit us up!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We specialize in creating and playing hard rock and heavy metal music. We throw a cover or two in our live sets of songs that we love to play and that have influenced us and help shape our sound. We are most proud of the music we have recorded and put out and aim to bring it every time we step on a stage.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I feel like rock music is really back on the rise. There are several really young creative and talented bands in our area alone that are bringing back some of the older style of metal and adding their own spin on it. With venues in Springfield like Dumb Records supporting and booking young acts in the style of punk, hardcore, and metal among others more and more young adults in the area are forming bands and cutting it loose. I am excited to see the way this develops over the next 5 to 10 years and beyond.
Pricing:
- Negotiable
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dysfam1/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1DysfunctionalFamily/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DysfunctionalFamilyOfficial
- Other: https://social.tunecore.com/linkShare?linkid=HfeSuLy7SEJZKbZQMijoEA
