I would like to spread the word about some good friends on mine. There is a band emerging out of Arizona, called Vayden. This band is on the rise and has gained a significant following in just a year. The story of how the band came to be is a true success story and proof that people need each other. This story is filled with hope, love and friendship. Here is a history lesson for those of you who don’t know of the Vayden movement. Arizona based band Vayden sounds like “Everything you’ve ever imagined yet nothing you have ever heard” says lead singer Curtis Casey. Many of their songs influenced by good and evil, some of the songs come at the listener with an attitude of being confrontational and geared for destruction, while others build from a place you don’t expect.
This band started in the dark and dingy basement of of an old music store where Bruce Weitz taught drum lessons. Curtis being ambitious and believing in what they were trying to accomplish bought a 30 minute session with Bruce in hope to convince him to join their band. After the two met it took 5 minutes for Bruce and Curtis to forge a friendship. Next they started looking for the rest of the future members of the band. After some ups and downs they finally found the missing parts to the band, this is where they found Jason and Armin which totally completed the band. Next they found a producer well known for working with other bands such as Authority Zero, Ten Foot Pole and Dishwalla to name a few. Ryan Greene immediately “Got It” once he heard Vayden. “We chose Ryan because he understands the importance of melodies, and he’s got a great sense of song direction and arrangement. Infusing that knowledge with his ability to capture incredible drum sounds and raw tones makes him one of the best in the business” remarks Casey.
Their debut record is entitled “Children of Our Mistakes”
The name is a play on the fact that every mistake you make spawns a metaphorical child, and that “child” might just grow up to take the wrong path. So in a sense, it’s a reminder to be aware of your actions and whom they effect.
The Album is a combination of hard-hitting rock songs hell bent on destruction (”Karma is a Professional Wrestler”, “Elysium”, “Uniforms”), over the top anthems with gigantic choruses (”Anthem of the Used”, “The One You Left Behind”, “Painted Face”) and melodic introspective songs that will pierce strait to the heart (”Welcome”, “Zoé’s Song”).
Casey explains, “We wanted the whole album to take the listener on a melodic journey, while bringing them home with huge hooks, meaningful lyrics and amazing musicianship. Our goal was to create a very deep record with so many layers that after listening to it 1000 times, you still discover new things that will make you love it even more.”
What does Vayden mean?
The word vayden by definition means knowledgeable or scholarly. To Bruce it means so much more and also to the whole band.
This is a blog post from their website that in depth explains the true meaning of Vayden.
“I’m often asked, where does the name Vayden come from? What does it mean? On the surface these seem like very simple questions, but the truth is that I’ve spent the last three years side stepping them, not because I didn’t want to answer them, but because I didn’t think people wanted to hear the real answer. I now feel the time has come to tell the story of why we chose the name Vayden and what it truly means, not only to me, but to us as a band.
The word vayden by definition means knowledgeable or scholarly. To me the name Vayden represents so much more. Vayden Zoe Weitz was my son. In July of 2004 Vayden and his mother Marcy were killed in a car accident. On the morning of the accident it became very clear to me that how I handled this would determine the outcome of my life. It was as if I had to choose right then and there between life or death. After walking around all morning I found myself in the restroom of a local coffee shop staring into the mirror and vowing to my son that I would make him proud. At that moment I chose life. I chose to believe that Vayden and Marcy fulfilled their purpose in their own lives as well as in mine. I chose to be grateful for the time I had with them and to search for anything and everything positive I could find relating to my experience with them.
The decision was made, but the struggle had just begun. When faced with so much pain, some of the thoughts that flashed through my mind were quite shocking. They ranged anywhere from seeking a temporary escape through drugs or alcohol (nothing new for me at the time) to a more permanent solution such as pondering which vehicles on the road could effectively put me out of my misery by granting me the same fate as my loved ones. Fortunately, as intense as the pain was, it did seem to come in waves, suffocating sorrow followed by brief moments of relief in which I could take a deep breath and feel a definite connection to my son just before the next wave consumed me. During those brief moments of relief there was a sense of inspiration, as if Vayden were encouraging me to seek out my own happiness. I believe that when you lose someone that you love so much, allowing yourself to be happy again is a difficult task simply because of the guilt that’s attached. It seems that when dealing with such an intense sadness, any feeling of joy or relief is immediately followed by feelings of guilt. I would think things like “how can I possibly feel good right now when I just lost my son?” The truth is, my son wants one thing for me and that’s for me to be happy. When I realized this, it became evident that my feelings of guilt were self imposed and as I began to focus on my joy, more things for me to be happy about began to surface in my life.
Through all of this I realized how kind and generous people really are. So many people came out of the wood work to show their love and support, going out of their way to help in any way they could. For that I’ll be eternally grateful. Among these people were the guys I was fortunate enough to be in a band with. I knew they were good guys but I had no idea what truly great friends they were until I needed them most. I could spend the next several pages listing all of the incredible things these guys did for me, but when you read the next few sentences I think you’ll have a good understanding of what kind of people they are. I believe one of the most beautiful songs ever written was written by my good friend Curtis Casey and dedicated to my son Vayden on the day of his and Marcy’s funeral. The chapel overflowed with hundreds of people, friends, family and many people whom I had no idea of their connection to Marcy and Vayden. The place was so full that even with the extra chairs set up outside there still wasn’t enough to accommodate the crowd. As Curtis began playing the song he had written for Vayden, accompanied by Rob Robbins and Bill Delrieu, there wasn’t a dry eye in the building, which didn’t surprise me. What I didn’t expect however, was the calming feeling of peace and inspiration that swept the chapel as the guys played. This song was truly inspired. It’s very rare that a song has the power to cut so deep while at the same time offer such an undeniable feeling of comfort and inspiration. The song is called Zoe’s song and is the last track on our record, Children Of Our Mistakes. The love and support in the room that day is something that I believe will continue to live in my heart always. Since then Rob and Bill have gone on to do their own thing but still remain great friends and we now have the pleasure of playing with Jason Salomone on bass and Armin Peterson on guitar.
I had Vayden and his mom physically in my life for only a few short years but I feel that the things I’m learning about myself and about life because of my experience with them will continue forever. As hard as the last few years have been, I’d do it all again without hesitation because I now understand the value of focusing on the joy of what is given rather than the pain of what is taken away. We named the band Vayden because to us his name represents purpose, inspiration, courage, and most importantly, life.
Vayden, this monument we’re building is for you. I love you son.
Bruce(dad)”
This Band has risen from the darkness and tragedy and grown into fitting success. This is not just a band, but a band of brothers.
Please take a listen to this band:
Vayden MySpace
Vayden Wiki
Vayden Web Site
