DREAM ALIVE

LA-based band Dream Alive are Karan Parakh (lead guitar, vocals), Nik Phoeniks (lead vocals, keyboards), Ramon Ryder (rhythm guitar, vocals)
and Martin Fredriksson (bass) with tapped drum talents of David Myers (Frank Ocean, John Mayer).
They wrote, recorded, self-produced and mastered their EP "Drifting Away" in less than four weeks.

The Ep starts with the song "Drifting away" and this song is truly amazing and is my personal favourite on the EP.
It has a lot of Pink Floyd sound in it and the vocals and instrumental work match perfectly in mood and tone.

The second song "What We're Looking For" is a beautiful piece of melodic music and it is highlighted by great guitar work.
Once again we can find some influences from Pink Floyd and Kansas and nothing about this song is disappointing.
The keyboards are perfect, thoroughly enjoyable and the song is quite ambient and relaxing with a progressive sphere.

The third song "Time To Go" is more of a melodic rock song with cool classic rock riffs and the band shows that the have the right feeling for some
melodic rock music as well.

The Ep ends with the song "War In The Sky", a song that starts really atmospheric with sounds and scapes echoing from the past and the band comes together as a whole in this song showing that they know what they're doing together and the guitar work really shines on this song.

Dream Alive show their skills through perfect collaboration on every track on this great EP and
this is a solid band with good musicians, they can all play their instruments very skilfully and they all hold a very high level of quality on the entire EP.

So overall this is a really great EP and Dream Alive does an amazing job making it flow with nice melodic rock and beautiful harmonies and this EP is worth checking out if you like classic and progressive rock bands like Pink Floyd and Kansas.
Highly recommended! - MELODIC.NET

Los Angeles rock band Dream Alive have partnered with AXS to premiere "Drifting Away," the first single from their forthcoming EP also called Drifting Away. You can get your first listen to the song by using the media player included with this article.

It's one of four songs that will be on the new EP; the other three are entitled "What We're Looking For," "Time to Go," and "War in the Sky." It was put together by the group- lead vocalist and keyboardist Nik Phoeniks, guitarist and vocalist Karan Parikh, rhythm guitarist Ramon Ryder, and bassist Martin Fredriksson - with the help of drummer David Myers in just four weeks.

What made it happen so quickly and what can fans expect from the album? Phoeniks answered a few of our questions in an accompanying e-mail interview.

"The band was in a time crunch, as some of our members were applying for artist visas to stay in the country," he explained, telling AXS that rather than send them into a panic, the accompanying sense of urgency made them focus their sound as they strove to create new music as quickly as possible. While working against the clock, they weren't able to over-think anything and had to trust one another when it came to making decisions. The result is an EP with a very raw, live feel.

Given the backstory, it's no surprise that the songs on Drifting Away deal with the impermanence of time and the importance of living in the present. What might be a surprise is the switch-up of drummers, as Dream Alive's regular drummer Stanley Love wasn't available when the band needed to record the new EP (though he still contributed to the song "Time to Go").

Enter Myers, who had played with two of the band members before and so was able to step in seamlessly, helping to elevate their music to another level. "We were immediately very in tune with each other from the first rehearsal in a musical and personal standpoint," said Phoeniks. "Every time we would play together it was almost like musical ESP."

Inspired by a wide variety of sounds from Rush to The Beatles and Black Sabbath, plus given the circumstances of its production, Drifting Away is poised to be a unique record. "Sometimes just taking a musical idea and running with it can lead to interesting and serendipitous results, and it definitely felt like that with this one," he added.

But while fans wait for its arrival, Dream Alive want you to know that they're playing a free concert at the House of Blues in West Hollywood on April 30. It not only will celebrate their new album, but they're also sending off a favorite venue before it closes in just a few months. For more information on the show, visit the band's schedule.

Drifting Away will be released June 5. - AXS.COM

"Los Angeles-based rock band Dream Alive--Nik Phoeniks (lead vocals / keyboard), Ramon Ryder (rhythm guitar / vocals), Karan Parikh (lead guitar / vocals), Martin Fredriksson (bass) and Stanley Love (drums)--is set to release its debut album, Before The Dawn, on July 29th. The record features eight soaring tracks melding sounds ranging from psychedelic to cinematic, bridging the musicality between the band's classic rock roots in Journey and Pink Floyd and their modern rock influences of Muse and Coldplay."
"'See You Tonight' is a high-energy, melodic tune that reflects the feelings of longing, lust and excitement,' explains Dream Alive's Ramon Ryder. 'It's the musical representation of the butterflies you feel in your stomach when thinking of someone you really like. The video shows the band performing inside a dark warehouse and outside on the sunny streets of downtown Los Angeles. We love how the two locations are both simultaneously gritty and beautiful, reflecting the highs and lows of love.'" - THE HUFFINGTON POST

The Los Angeles based band Dream Alive is ready to release their rocking debut eight song album Before The Dawn on July 29th. The band consists of Nik Phoeniks (lead vocals / keyboard), Ramon Ryder (rhythm guitar / vocals), Karan Parikh (lead guitar / vocals), Martin Fredriksson (bass) and Stanley Love (drums).

Influences include classic rock (Journey and Pink Floyd), modern rock (Muse and Coldplay) and more. The first single, the well produced "Don't Say No," has a video directed by Irving Ong (a writer and producer of Heartbreakers, which stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sigourney Weaver). The music lends itself well to visual representation. The band next plays at the Los Angeles House of Blues in the Foundation Room on July 4th. Lead singer Nik Phoeniks discusses the new album and more in this interview:

W.E. What are your thoughts and feelings regarding your new debut album Before The Dawn?

N.P. Before The Dawn is the culmination of the band's past year as we worked tirelessly writing and arranging the music, digging deep to come up with new sounds and textures that would do the songs justice. We’re all huge fans of rock but also have varying musical influences that we integrated into the album (ranging from psychedelic to cinematic, to all-out rocker anthems and everything in between).

W.E. How did you approach finding such strong musical arrangements for the songs?

N.P. The arrangements were modified constantly, from the genesis of the songs all the way through the recording process. Some songs came rather quickly (“Waiting So Long” was pretty much written on the spot, lyrics and all), while on other tracks we completely changed the arrangement late into the recording process (as with “Away From You” - which we made grittier during the verses so that the lush chorus harmonies really stand out). Until we had that “aha” moment with each song, we'd keep working.

W.E. How would you describe the difference between the band's recorded sound in comparison to the live sound?

N.P. We purposely play the songs slightly different live. The amazing energy we get feeding off the crowd is a completely different environment than being in the studio, and we try to use the limitations provided by the stage (as opposed to the limitless sounds/effects access in the studio) to our advantage. The title track, "Before The Dawn" is a case in point: it’s very cinematic on the album with orchestrated strings, but live we like to rock it out and give the audience one helluva finale. - THE EXAMINER

Review Fix chats with Nik Phoeniks, the frontman of Los Angeles-based rock band Dream Alive, who discusses the band’s debut album, Before The Dawn, which is set for a July 29 release. With a sound that bridges classic rock and modern rock, they’re a band without a need for a target demographic.

For more information on the band, head to www.dreamalivemusic.com

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for the album?

Nik Phoeniks: The inspiration for the album comes from each of our backgrounds and individual stories. We wanted to create something that meant a lot to us but at the same time something that people can relate to. It was important for us to tackle the universal theme of overcoming one’s own demons and that even though the road can be dark, the dawn is always just around the corner.

Review Fix: What song do you think provides listeners with the best example of what the band is capable of?

Phoeniks: As far as showcasing the band equally, “We All Move On” has a dynamic build up from a slow ballad to a high energy rock ending that brings out the best in the band as a whole.

Review Fix: What was it like to work with Irving Ong?

Phoeniks: Working with Irving Ong was a huge honor! We wanted to go all out on our first music video, and to be working with someone like Irving who has vast experience producing quality work and shooting movies in Hollywood (such as “Heartbreakers” starring Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt) made us very happy. Irving definitely has a vision of what he wants and once he sets his mind on what he wants he always gets it. He’s the consummate perfectionist and professional, and we have so much respect and admiration for him. We couldn’t be happier with our “Don’t Say No” video that he directed: http://bit.ly/1m6uJ6s.

Review Fix: What song do you think people may originally pass on, but redeems itself or grows on you with multiple listens?

Phoeniks: “Before The Dawn” is different from anything we’ve ever done, and it’s one of our proudest moments. The track blends psychedelic and cinematic elements in a rock landscape, and we think listeners will really dig the unique textures and haunting vocal harmonies we incorporated. It’s more than just a song to us; being the album title track, “Before The Dawn” represents our album as a whole.

Review Fix: Do any of the songs have unique stories behind them? Can you share one?

Phoeniks: “Away From You” was probably the most difficult song to record because we had only 10 minutes of studio time left to track all the drums and bass. Bassist Martin and drummer Stanley sat in the same room, eye to eye, grooving, and in just two takes, they nailed it. It really is amazing sometimes what you can achieve in a short amount of time!

Review Fix: What’s the band’s creative process like?

Phoeniks: Our creative process can be either really long or really fast. “Waiting So Long” was written in just a few days, but most of the album tracks took us months.

Review Fix: How do you want this album to affect people?

Phoeniks: We want people to relate to the message in the album, and most of all enjoy the music. We’d like for this to be a record that people can find new things in with each listen. We are really influenced by old and new music, and would love for the audience to see elements of both in terms of the evolution of sounds and compositions from the past to the present.

Review Fix: What do you think is the band’s most marketable quality?

Phoeniks: We would probably say our songwriting. The band comes from different backgrounds and we have such varied tastes in music that we bring to our songwriting.

Review Fix: What are your hopes and goals for the rest of the year?

Phoeniks: We hope most of all that people enjoy the album, and we’d love for them to share it with their friends. We have a West Coast tour in the works for later this summer, and are looking into an India tour perhaps for early next year. We have a lot of fans in India, so it would great for us to perform there. - REVIEWFIX.COM

Dream Alive was co-founded by Nik Phoeniks and Ramon Ryder. They were brought together by a mutual desire to create a transcendent body of work with expansive sound. After looking at their influences - Pink Floyd, Muse and Journey - they realized they needed to get their numbers up. They are accompanied by drummer Stanley Love, guitarist Karan Parikh and bassist Martin Fredriksson.

Together, they work to combine their classic rock roots with their modern rock influences. The product of which is their self-produced debut album, Before The Dawn.

Right off the bat, we are hit with a classic piano, drums and guitar rock combo. Then come in the vocals that speak of missing another and wanting to “See You Tonight.” The song develops and vocal harmonies emerge while the instrumentals stick to fundamental rocking. This is the mix of modern and classic rock that the band aims for.

The first single they released, “Don’t Say No,” utilizes the same mechanics to achieve a similar sound. The band describes the album as having an uplifting theme, pointing to songs like “See You Tonight” and “We All Move On” to prove their point. I prefer the less triumphant tracks.

While the theme is one of overcoming adversity and battling your fears, some songs have a dreary feel to them. For example, “Waiting So Long” is a slow, sad song. The triumphant guitar is swapped for a telling one and the all-out drums for some soothing piano. The vocalist talks about having nothing left to lose and questions if this is all he’ll ever be. Similarly, “Chains” takes the darker route. A short song, it starts off quiet and sad, then gets loud and sad. This gloomy building in volume, both in size and sound, is found on a couple other tracks on the EP.

The album’s title track, “Before The Dawn,” is a short song that is evocative of Pink Floyd. It starts silent and builds to a big layered sound; first just guitar, then drums, some keyboard, maybe an acoustic guitar and then vocals.

The song is not complete however, without the violins that come in halfway through. They are essential to making it the beautifully melancholy track that it is. I believe the message of the song to be that the dawn should be the only thing that can stop you from chasing your dreams.

The EP finishes with “We All Move On” that starts with a piano reminiscent of The Beatles’ song “Let It Be” and, again, eventually builds into the whole band. At first, the vocals serve to give us words of inspiration but then take a back seat to the instruments, giving them another chance to showcase their sound.

In the end, I feel like there are two different bands. One with the darker sound and one that triumphs over all with rock. I like the former but the jury is still out on the latter.

Songs to Note: “We all Move On,” “See You Tonight” and “Before The Dawn” - THE CELEBRITY CAFE

All the members of Dream Alive may be from different parts of the world. Upon first glance, perhaps United Nations would’ve been a more appropriate name. But the five-piece break through all cultural barriers and do so with a shared love of music.

"Music is a universal language, so I think because we jive together musically, and since we all had similar influences, we all kinda spoke the same language, like music vocabulary wise, even though we were into different styles too," lead singer Nik Phoeniks explains. "But the fact our music is universal, it makes it easier to be on the same playing field."

The Los Angeles-based rock group (also comprised of lead guitarist Karan Parikh, rhythm guitarist Ramon Ryder, bassist Martin Fredriksson, and drummer Stanley Love) put that universal reaching music on display with their debut album Before The Dawn.

Before The Dawnis a passionate eight-track melodic pop-rock jam packed with broad lyrical appeal of perseverance, illuminating guitar solos, and a modern rhythmic and songwriting flair inspired by titanic bands like Pink Floyd, Journey, Guns N' Roses, and The Beatles. There is a powerful sense of that on delights like "Away From You," "Forever Young," and "See You Tonight."

At the album's core are words that'll resonate with the masses."It's something of a universal theme that anybody can relate to. It's something that grabs us," Phoeniks explains via telephone from the band's rehearsal space with Karan and Ryder nearby. "Also, on a more personal note, it represents the past couple of years of our lives. We all moved from different parts of the world -- literally -- to LA to pursue music and everything that comes with it: personal triumphs and struggles. Each song has a different face to that and we wanted to represent that in the best possible way, but also make it cohesive at the same time."

He continues, "We've always been big fans of older bands as well, like Pink Floyd and Journey, and they always have very cool imagery, and we wanted to marry that with overcoming obstacles."

Though each member comes from a different part of the world, such as Estonia, India, Sweden, and even San Jose, which is six hours north of the band's home base in L.A., these five gentlemen are all in pursuit of the American Dream in the music world and that's something they've been striving for their entire lives.

Dream Alive formed in 2012 when Phoeniks met Ryder at the Rainbow Bar And Grill on L.A.'s famed Sunset Strip, which could very well be the most famous rock 'n' roll restaurant in the world. "We started talking about music and other similar interests. We noticed we had the same kind of interest, as far as what we're influenced by and the kind of music we wanted to create, so we just decided to start a band together," Phoeniks recalls. "And Karan lived next door." "So lo and behold," Karan interjects, "we just jammed on ‘Don't Say No.'" "And actually, 'See You Tonight,'" Phoeniks adds.



Over the next year and a half, the rest of the members entered the fold and, together, they finished writing those two tracks and another additional six. Then they took the final eight, tracked them at Phantom Recordings in nearby Van Nuys, and recorded the rest of Before The Dawn at Karan's K Loft Studios, which will officially drop on July 29th.

Now, the multicultural five-piece have a melodic pop-rock assortment of material that they hope resonate with listeners and stand the test of time. Karan says, "I just want the songs to grow on people, and [for people] to hear all the honest and hard work we put into it. We [want the songs to] live for a long time and become classics one day."

Ryder echoes those sentiments, but takes it a step further as he looks into the band's future. "My hope is for people to enjoy it, and not only that, but to follow the music. We put a lot of effort into it, but I'm also confident the next album is gonna be way better."

"As we mentioned before," he continues, "we grew up on The Beatles, we grew up on Pink Floyd, we grew up on those kind of bands, and after this album, we'll feel comfortable pushing ourselves musically, and lyrically, to write some more epic songs. It's kinda pop, but at the same time, kinda classic and modern. The next stuff is gonna be more ballsy and push the limits."

On July 29th, Dream Alive's long-desired dream officially turns into reality. - ARENA.COM

You wake, you run errands, you get tired and you run your routine all over again. Millions of ideas race around your head as you try to figure out where your life is and where it's headed. And then, you come across a striking glance from a beautiful woman who shakes up your entire world. Now all of your thoughts are attracted to meeting this woman. You prepare your first move, your opening line, your perfect scenario where you can talk to her; only to have your dreams foiled by your anxieties and misconceptions.

The new single "Don't Say No" from the rock band Dream Alive definitely brings life to the endless love trife between meeting a woman and what to say. However when you take the chance, don't say no to what could happen because Dream Alive assures it'll be well worth it.

The video is actually directed by prestigious Hollywood producer Irving Ong. The concept is very organic as it follows both the band while using the classic "helpless romantic" trifecta of characters as protagonists. The video shows Dream Alive on stage playing for their fans at a concert. However the video then cuts to a scene of a young man trying to get into his car but is blinded by the sun, and a beautiful woman who is slowly approaching him. His nerves begin to wreck him as he is struck by her blinding beauty, just to find out that she was coming over to tell him he's in a no parking zone.

The comedic motif is crucial in the story as it follows the young man on his quest to attain the young beautiful woman. As the video progresses we are introduced to a man who smokes a cigarette and carelessly throws it away in a non smoking area in front of the protagonist. He then picks it up with a look of disdain and with his luck, he sees the woman looking right at him with a smirk on her face. Quickly we realize that the smoker is the antagonist of the video as he scene evolves into a laundry mat where you see him talking to the woman. The protagonist is seen with his head down as he summoned the courage to invite her to see Come Alive perform.

The video crescendos into the live performance of the band where everyone is having a good time, except for the protagonist. It's there, where like an angel, the beautiful woman gently strides her way to the protagonist and the rest is left for the imagination.

The video is simple, yet elegant in that it uses real backdrops and leaves room for the storyline. As mentioned it's very character driven which engages the audience in, leaving the song "Don't Say No" as the soundtrack to a move as opposed to a music video. The creativity lies in the lighting of the video. Even when the band is playing at their concert, different sun dogs and rays of light shine on the band members adding an aura to the video. Now the lighting plays a huge role with the "Love Story" by using it as a metaphor of an angel on the gorgeous woman. This creates a sense of desire and leads the audience to naturally root fr the protagonist. Overall, the video is an excellent example of capturing a compelling story through the lens of a creative persona using simple but bold resources. Dream Alive has struck gold with this gem of a song and can bolster their sonic treasure with the video to accompany it. - MUSIC DISH TV

VADODARA: ​One of the first things that most Gujaratis immigrating to USA dream of is launching their own business or land up with a job that pays well. But there was something completely different on this Gujarati's mind when he shifted to USA in 2009.

Karan Parikh, a Barodian wanted to make his mark in the world of music in USA. Five years down the line, he is living his dream, and how. The 28-year-old guitarist is member of a popular musical band that is making waves in USA. Karan is the only Indian in the Los Angeles-based band Dream Alive that is all set to launch its debut album in US in a grand ceremony this month.

Though he is nervy, Karan is excited about the album launch that may put their band in the top league. "We self-produced the album 'Before the Dawn' together and spent long hours trying to get the right sounds and textures that would fit the album. Our entire band worked tirelessly for last one year, writing and arranging music and digging deep for new sounds. I am pretty excited about the launch," Karan told TOI.

A student of Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan and Navrachana School in Vadodara, Karan grew up listening to music from the west from his father's collection of Beatles, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Deep Purple and many others. He would listen to his father strum guitar and sing all the classics. "I got inspired from him and began playing guitar by 16 but didn't get professionally trained. I met Ehsaan Noorani of SEL band in Mumbai. He heard me play guitar and suggested that I should move to US and study audio engineering and guitar performance from Music Institute (MI) in Hollywood," Karan said.

He enrolled for MI and never looked back. "It has been an amazing ride. I came here chasing my dreams that are now turning into reality. I joined my band Dream Alive after graduating from MI in 2012. It was purely coincidental as I heard Nik Phoeniks, who is lead vocalist in the band, singing next door. I took my guitar and started jamming with him and he offered me to part of his band," Karan recalled.

Apart from Karan and Nik, Ramon Ryder (rhythm guitar/vocals), Martin Fredriksson (bass) and Stanley Love (drums) are part of the band. The band has done 40 shows in last two years in famous venues like The House of Blues, The Viper Room, The Roxy Theatre and many others in LA. The band, whose popularity is increasing among youngsters in USA, will album will release its first album on July 29 during a grand ceremony in LA. - THE TIMES OF INDIA

The members of Dream Alive want to live the dream, the complete rock dream and they are reaching the Parama Brahman to get there… I am just saying this because some of them are from Indian origin and lead guitarist Karan Parikh’s parents had even came from India to attend the release party of their debut album (entitled ‘Before the Dawn’) at the Dragonfly on Tuesday night. But I will stop there with any reference to India, because the music was pure Sunset Strip dream.

Six on stage, with 3 keyboards and two guitars, they gave us a grandiose opening, and continued with the same exuberant energy till the end, attempting to take everybody’s breath away during each song. If each member of the band were actively participating into this over-the top celebration, the charismatic showman-frontman Nik Phoeniks worked very hard to push the show to a new level. Behind his large keyboard, he was haranguing the crowd at any occasion, finger-pointing the crowd or rising his arm in the air every minute, transforming the end of each song to a grand finale with the help of guitarists Ramon Ryder and Karan Parikh, drummer Stanley Love and bassist Martin Fredriksson – they actually had a sixth member, a girl behind another keyboard in the back of the stage, whom I could not see very well.

These guys have obviously been raised on a high dose of high-energy melodic 80-90s pop rock as the music sounded right away familiar, bringing back something of these eras, and the first songs they played could have turned Bon Jovi blue of envy,… may be they should have composed the music for this Rock of Ages movie, and I am not only saying this because Phoeniks had this Tom Cruise ladykiller smile! Song after song, it was power pop escalation, as they were getting a bit less rock and more and more poppy as they were progressing into the album, that they were playing in its entirety. ‘Before the Dawn’ could be an attempt to give a modern twist on big compositions full of layered pop rock melodies and soaring vocal harmonies, spiced up by textured guitar solos. The songs, which often started with a quiet beginning before reaching rock-tempest levels, had such an optimistic tone, that nobody in the room stayed indifferent to their rock choruses.

Founders Nik Phoeniks and Ramon Ryder have met at the Rainbow Bar and Grill on the Sunset strip, which is totally appropriate for the music they play, and they have mentioned Pink Floyd, Muse, Journey as common influences… all night long they were running after rock band legends and judging at the girls’ screams, I would say they managed to impressed everyone, while giving an epic and mood uplifting performance.

‘We spent innumerable nights in the studio creating and experimenting with tones. Our aim was to discover new sounds that would do justice to the material, while giving audiences something they haven’t heard before,’ explained Karan in an interview….’The album’s theme is that of overcoming obstacles. We all have fears and insecurities to battle, but if we rise above, we can be triumphant,’ added Ramon. It is true that you can’t miss the album’s theme with titles like ‘Don’t Say No’, ‘Waiting so Long’, ‘Forever Young’, ‘We All Move On’…

If Journey’s Steve Perry showing up at a Eels’ concert to transform a morose Mark Everett’s tune into a rock anthem at everyone’s greatest pleasure is any sign of the time, these Dream Alive guys can certainly bring back the big rocking dream to life. - ROCKNYCLIVEANDRECORDED.COM