Artist description Sweet and sour, loud and soft, angry and joyous, fast and slow, but always melodic, lyrical and rhythmic...

Music Style Modern Rock

Musical Influences The Jam, The Police, Beatles, The Clash, Creedence, Cracker, Van Morrison, Gil Scott-Heron

Similar Artists see above

Artist History Singer-songwriter Graham Irwin had a mission from a very early age. Armed with only a socially and intellectually aware background and a good catalogue of melodic classic rock and punk tunes to fall back on, the young Canadian decided upon graduation from high school to move to Tinseltown, USA (aka, Southern California) to pursue that most elusive of careers--music. Refusing to be jaded by the dichotomy of his idea of "California dreamin'" against the somewhat tarnished reality he came up against, Irwin held on to his own self-described "naive" cynicism and resolved to forge ahead. After cutting his teeth in several local Los Angeles bands (the Goliards, the Abe Lincoln Story) Irwin finally decided to go the solo route in 1995, facetiously dubbing himself "The Champ" and allowing the chips to fall where they may in his newest endeavor. Serendipity proved to be a fortuitous route: two years, two recordings, and three tours later, the Champ felt ready to play as part of a unit again. Irwin's newly formed band, din (e.e. cummings-style, please), jelled well enough to garner an invite to Austin's premier annual music festival, South By Southwest, the following year. Frenzied preparation to polish up for the task--including a massive two-week rush to record a finalized demo for the upcoming trip--completely did in the group. Irwin decided to forgo the chance to play Texas, and concentrated again on working solo to finish a comprehensive and mature release instead. Within eight months and with a little bit of cameo help (most notably in the form of Carl Stephenson, frontman for DreamWorks Records' artist Forest From The Trees), Irwin completed his first record under the name of din. Greatest Hits Volume One, an energetic amalgam of guitar-heavy pop influences--including that of the Beatles, the Jam, the Clash, the Police, and even a bit of Bleach-era Nirvana--instantly made its mark as an indie guitar-rock modern classic. Irwin at this point decided it was time to restructure a band. Seeking diverse input, he first enlisted a bit of funk in the form of New Orleans-bred drummer Shane Bishop, a Dirty Mind-era Prince fan and old friend who helped record--and even contributed a few screams--to the first din album. The final touch came with the recruitment of Andrew Martin, a well-seasoned Portland bassist with a crunchy vibe. Thus coagulated in a patchwork of musical influences, din found its final lineup, and can be found sneaking about L.A.'s glossy underbelly seeking to expose the truth in modern rock today.

Group Members Graham Irwin - guitar/vocals Andrew Martin - bass/vocals Shane Bishop - drums/vocals

Instruments guitar, bass, drums, harmonica, fiddle, penny whistle

Albums Greatest Hits Volume One

Press Reviews "din are some intelligent lads taking a few chances with an alterna-pop approach...an admirable creation a step to the left of intelligent alterna-rock-pop." - Bushman, No Cover Magazine "...a nice sort of low-fi ruckus...the cacophony is tempered with catchy rhythms, so it all goes down smoothly...it should appeal to anyone who likes indie rock." - Carrie Villines, Campus Circle Magazine "...alternative pop punk music best described as Soundgarden meets Crash Test Dummies meets Green Day...darn nice homegrown alternative music." - Daryl Searle, Mean Street Magazine

Location Venice, CA - USA

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