enemies

By Daniel Rodrigue

Before enemies climbs the steps onto Hailey's stage, Ryan Gillbert struts around the club clutching his guitar looking like a young, Don't Look Back-era Bob Dylan, while frontman Joshua Sinai puffs on a Djarum clove cigarette and chats with his mohawk-sporting girlfriend.
Sometimes, before a band plays a single note, you can tell that you're in for a memorable performance. And, in Denton, where clubs often book shows featuring half a dozen passable local acts with bills that cross genres from alt-country to punk rock, it's always nice to stumble out of a club feeling like you saw at least one impressive band perform. This Hailey's show, dubbed "Denton Rock Revival," serves as the perfect example. Enemies is sandwiched between some Dave Matthews-influenced rock, a heavy metal band and a burlesque show.
Sinai approaches his mic stand, and his backing band starts playing. It's equal parts pomp, piss and vinegar—appropriate for a band that cites influences ranging from Johnny Cash and Velvet Underground to The Stone Roses and Nirvana.
Gothed-out in all black, wearing a blazer and biker boots, Sinai bears a resemblance to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer vamp Spike. Can't say if enemies actually has a taste for blood, but the band's live sets are gaining a reputation for being lively, raucous affairs that occasionally result in random acts of rock 'n' roll violence and, well, a little bloodshed.
Last summer, enemies played a set at Delta Lodge (before the former Fry Street Fair gods packed up and vacated their building). While Sinai was thrashing around onstage, he gashed open his head with his guitar. "I started feeling the warmth of the blood pouring down the side my face," Sinai says. "I think people were shocked that we kept playing."
He laughs when recalling another recent gig at J & J's Pizza that left him with a partially dislocated shoulder.
The band has spent the last few months in the studio working on its first album, which Sinai says should be released by late October. To date, the only recordings enemies have released are of the band's performances around Denton. And bassist Kristopher Price warns that the songs on the album will feel a little slower than the band's live sets.
"We're a little more aggressive live," Price explains.
"In rock 'n' roll, the best bands—the legendary bands—like Iggy Pop, Nirvana or Sex Pistols, their live sets are all train wrecks," Sinai adds. "There are some good bands in Denton, but there's a lot of bands that don't go balls to the wall. And that's what we try to do at every gig.
"Besides, I'd rather have the audience despise us than just say, 'Eh, they're OK .'
- Dallas Observer

By Josh Hogan

Keeping this section about very young and emerging artists for another week, we turn our attention to Enemies, the Denton based and always over the top rock group who will be releasing their debut EP in the next month or so. I have had somewhat of an eye on this band as they bring their shock and awe stage strategy to clubs all over town while making quite a name for themselves as a terrific live band. But now that they are making legitimate efforts in the studio, this band is getting even more exciting.

Here is a sample of their press release sent to me a few days ago to give you an idea of the amount of energy is behind this group: "Denton-based psychedelic rock band enemies released its first studio single, "Instinct to Hide," this week, completing it in one day at Buzz Studios in Fort Worth. It's been a long-time coming but well-worth the wait. The beat is catchy in the very best way, but the attitude is straight up rock ‘n' roll. Witnesses to the band's raucous live performances might not expect the signature enemies sound to carry over into a more controlled environment such as a studio, but they will be reassured upon hearing this recording. Even on a leash, enemies does not lose its bite.

The single is currently only available on Web sites such as MySpace and Reverb Nation, but hard copies will soon be available. enemies plans to fellow the British model by steadily releasing a series of singles, creating a continuous flow of new material, until enough is ready for a full-length album. The "Instinct to Hide" single will include fan-favorite "County Line Road" as the b-side. Recording for the b-side will begin in November, with December as the target date for a formal release.

Enemies has played all around the denton/dfw area, as well as road shows in a variety of locales. venues that enemies has despoiled include but are not limited to: hailey's, rubber gloves, dan's silverleaf, mable peabody's,j&j's, cool beans, tj's/boiler room, banter, the hydrant, andy's, the garage, art six, club dada, the lounge on elm street, etc..."

That list is sure to grow even larger after the release of their debut EP and I for one will be excited to see where this thing goes. It is perhaps the most important step for any band, and sometimes the hardest. Making the transition from great stage performers to great recording artists. There have been some outstanding live bands that for one reason or another just do not translate to records, and then there have been great live performers who make the shift to the studio look all to easy.

It will be interesting to see what category these guys fall in to. I hope for nothing but the best for them and am confident that this release will only do great things for them. Only time will tell how far they can eventually go. - My Denton Music