The Dream Syndicate hit Glasgow in March for two shows at the Hug & Pint, their first ever in Scotland, as part of a ten date UK tour.
Coming to prominence in the early 1980s as part of L.A.’s Paisley Underground scene, despite four well received albums, the band were gradually ground down by the machinations of the 80s record industry, splitting in 1989.
Reforming in 2012 initially to play shows and have some fun, contrary to their own expectations, four years of touring the old songs led to a new album, 2017’s ‘How Did I Find Myself Here’.
Unshackled from any record company pressures, HDIFMH was a glorious statement of intent incorporating crunching guitars and drones into the songs and even elements of funk and jazz into the epic title track. It’s one of the best (yet most under-rated) rock records of the 21st century.
A further album ‘These Times’ followed in 2019 taking the band in a more overtly psychedelic direction, a journey which culminated in the next record, ‘The Universe Inside’. ‘Universe’ was completely different to what had gone before, an hour-long record with just five songs which had originated in an unplanned late-night jam session during the sessions for ‘These Times’.
However, the band’s progress was at risk of being derailed as the pandemic hit. ‘The Universe Inside’ was released in May 2020 but plans to tour the record had to be scrapped during a period of great uncertainty for all full-time musicians. In those circumstances singer/guitarist/songwriter Steve Wynn found some solace in what the band had managed to achieve before the pandemic hit.
“We were all frustrated by suddenly having putting the brakes on everything, like every person in the world.
“But I look back on 2019 and, man, that was probably my most productive year and more exciting things happened with all my different projects. During 2020, I actually made a list of all the things that had happened to find some consolation, thinking if we never leave our houses again then at least I had a fun year.”
The Dream Syndicate were on hold but Steve found a way to continue performing through two runs of online shows, usually accompanied by his wife Linda Pitmon on percussion, and he acknowledges how important these shows were.
“Incredibly, I mean, they kept us going because we both tour and play music so often. It’s so much part of our lives and the prospect of not having that was kind of sad.
“At the time, we didn’t know how long it would be. Is it going to be a year? Two years? The rest of our lives? So, finding a way we could play music together and connect with people all around the world was really great.”
Fortunately, everyone’s worst fears were not realised and, as COVID restrictions eased, the band were able to return to the studio for the first time in a couple of years.
“We went in in the middle of 2021, so in the thick of the pandemic, and got together and had the greatest time, just kind of writing the songs that ended up on ‘Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions.’
“It was so exciting because we were just happy to be hanging out together. And I think that that shows on the record, there are some dark songs but it’s kind of a pretty lively, upbeat record.”
‘Ultraviolet Battle Hymns …’, the band’s first for long-standing UK indie Fire Records, is a more concise work, dispensing with the long grooves instead focussing on the band’s melodic strengths blending vintage Krautrock, Eno-like ambience and Neu-inspired rhythmic groove.
As 2023 dawns, with their new label’s support, the band are preparing for what, remarkably, will be their first ever proper UK tour.
“Whereas, all of our friends, Green on Red and Rain Parade and the Long Ryders, were all playing ten shows in the UK, when we went to England, we would typically play London and get the hell out, which was just the way it was.
“Instead, we toured all over Europe and really not just the capital cities. This was a time that not many bands of our ilk of our era were doing that. And that was a great decision because that began what we still have today, a great following across Europe.
“However, unlike a lot of places we’re playing in England, I’ve actually played Glasgow a fair amount because the one place I’d play my solo tours was always King Tut’s. So it’ll be nice to get back.”
The tour will also acknowledge the band’s original roots in the Los Angeles Paisley Underground scene in a couple of different ways as Steve explains.
“It will probably be a little more nostalgic than our recent tours. Vicky Peterson from the Bangles is playing guitar in place of Jason (Victor) who couldn’t do the tour.
“And I thought about having Matt (Piucci), and Stephen (Roback) from the Rain Parade open the tour and they were into it.
“So, all these things mean it’s going to be a very unique event.”
Whilst the Dream Syndicate may not have played in Scotland before, they still have a strong Scottish link in that Scottish film-maker David M. Dalglish has been responsible for producing all the band’s videos for all the records after HDIFMH. Steve explains how that came about.
“It’s like a lot of things these days, where you connect to people around the world and you don’t even know them.
“Right about the time our first comeback record came out, we were thinking about videos. It’s no longer as essential as it was in the 80s, but still nice to have. And I saw a video that David did for Eyelids who are friends of mine and just liked it a lot.
“I got in touch with Chris (Slusarenko), their singer and asked, who’s this guy? He passed on David’s email and he was immediately receptive.
“The first one he did was for our EP that came out for Record Store Day. It was for a reworking of ‘Kendra’s Dream’ with me singing and he did a fantastic video. That’s led to an ongoing collaboration, including the album length one for ‘The Universe Inside’. I can’t say enough about how great he is. I just love his work.”
Steve is well known as a huge music fan and he’s talked before about the influence of post-punk acts on his music. It’s no surprise therefore that he has favourites from Glasgow, but his love of Scottish bands pre-dates even the Dream Syndicate.
“In that little two-year period before the band started I was very locked into what was happening to the UK at the time, as I was working in record stores.
“You can see all the building blocks that went into the beginning of the Dream Syndicate. We got compared to the Velvet Underground a lot and that made sense. But I guess I was digging any band that sounded like the Velvet Underground.
“I was very into Postcard Records, and I loved Orange Juice in particular. They had that kind of fast strum, the adrenaline, and, you know, good pop songs, but out of control a little bit.
“So, I loved ‘I’m Simply Thrilled Honey’, I played that all the time. But also Josef K and Aztec Camera as well.
“Later on, I became a really big fan of Primal Scream and the Jesus and Mary Chain, but the beginning was all about Postcard.”
With four new albums in five years, the next Dream Syndicate activity is likely to centre around re-issues of the band’s remaining 80s albums. Fire have already reissued debut ‘The Days of Wine and Roses’ in a deluxe vinyl package (with a 4xCD boxset also mooted) and third album ‘Out of the Grey’ on both vinyl and CD. Steve explains that there are plans to release the rest of the band’s ’80s output.
“There’s a law that got passed here in the States about 10 years ago, where after 35 years for any musical artist in the States, the rights go back to the artist which just makes sense. 35 years is a long time and in fact it’s almost daunting to think that’s like half a lifetime.
“But sure enough, all of our records from the 80s are coming back to us. So, in 2023, we get the rights back to ‘Ghost Stories’ and we’ll put that out before too long.”
Things aren’t quite so clear-cut in terms of the band’s second album to Steve’s frustration, despite the record having been covered by the 35-years law for several years now.
“’Medicine Show’ is a different beast because it’s one of those cases of a label being swallowed by another label, swallowed by another label, swallowed by an international conglomerate.
“And they’re really being difficult and dragging their feet about letting us have it back, not just us but every other band on the label.
“So I hope we get ‘Medicine Show’ back, because it pains me when people tell me it’s selling for two hundred dollars on Discogs and stuff like that. I’d rather sell it for 20 bucks through normal channels.”
The Dream Syndicate play the Hug & Pint in Glasgow on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th March, although the Saturday show is sold out. More at www.thedreamsyndicate.com.