Bio

When byron played their first show in 2006, lead singer and composer Dan Byron was already an established star on the Romanian rock scene, after years of playing in cult bands Kumm and Urma. The other members were no strangers to the scene either – most notably, keyboardist 6fingers had already achieved European fame with his metal band Magica, while former member Costin Oprea was an experienced and highly sought-after blues guitarist. These divergent influences, complete with Dan Byron’s progressive/acoustic rock background, later came to define the band’s ever-expanding, chameleonic sound.

In 2008, inspired by the famous MTV Unplugged sessions, they completely re-orchestrated the songs from their 2007 debut Forbidden Drama and filmed an unplugged show in a Transylvanian citadel, later released on DVD as Acoustic Drama. After releasing a second album the following year (A Kind of Alchemy), 2010 finds them 100m underground in a Transylvanian salt mine filming the two-part concert Live Underground. The salt mine concert was a massive undertaking which attracted huge media attention – enough for the concert to be broadcast on HBO, prior to the DVD and Blu-ray release.

After reworking well-known Romanian songs for their 2011 covers album Perfect, byron teamed up with Romanian music icon Nicu Alifantis and played the live soundtrack for a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Metropolis Theater in Bucharest – a project that would keep the band busy for most of the next two years.

Released in spring 2013 and prefaced by the hit single “Road Trip”, their fourth studio release 30 Seconds of Fame (available in Romanian as 30 de secunde de faimă) is a tasteful mix of rock & blues grooves, acoustic vibes and electronic textures – a definite step forward in the band’s tireless musical exploration. After a few months of touring in support of their new album, byron began working on the soundtrack of a new TV series produced by HBO Romania – “Rămâi cu mine” (aka. “Shall We Kiss”). They composed 18 new songs for the series and all of them can be found on the latest album Melancolic, released in early 2014.

After countless national tours, having played the major festivals in their home country for years in a row, opening for Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators two years ago and representing Romania at the World Fest in Chennai, India, during the Saarang 2014 International Festival, byron‘s latest project is probably their most daring to date: Electric Marching Band, a fusion between a rock band, a military brass band and a student’s choir, with one of the world’s most renowned violinists as special guest. The sold-out concert took place last winter at the National Theater in Cluj, and the live DVD is currently in production.

2014, “Melancolic” release party; by Alexandru Trifan

2008, shooting the “Acoustic Drama” unplugged DVD; by Dan Predescu

2010, shooting the “Live Underground” DVD in the Turda salt mine; by Dan Predescu

I began studying music at 6: 4 years of violin, 6 of flute and 2 of music theory. I have no idea how I ended up a singer. I was a two-times student, first in Bucharest (studying music pedagogy) then in Cluj (studying composition). I never finished my studies, however, and somehow I feel bad about it. But I did much more interesting things in the mean time. In 1995 I started playing in bands, the most important being those with which I managed to release something, anything (you can find a discography later on).

I like hiking, cooking, reading, I blog, take pictures (but who doesn’t?), I watch a ton of movies a year, some of them in the cinema, I listen to a ton of albums a year, some of them on vinyl, I am subscribed to Q Magazine, I’d like to live in a more civilised Romania (but who wouldn’t?), I’m obsessed with my art and I keep making small steps towards improving it. Peter Gabriel, Günter Grass and Christopher Nolan are among my personal heroes.

Besides byron, I also play with Luiza Zan and sometimes hold an experimental concert all by myself.

2013, live @ Clubul Ţăranului during Impromptu 6; by Alexandru Trifan

2014, live @ Mogoşoaia Palace; by Ilinca Ghişoiu

Discography (non-byron)

• RA – Geniu pustiu (1999)
• Agathodaimon – Higher Art of Rebellion (1999)
• Kumm – Confuzz (2002)
• Urma – Nomad Rhymes (2004)
• Kumm – Angels & Clowns (2005)
• Urma – Anger as a Gift (2005)
• Urma – Trend Off (2007)
• Grimus – Panikon (2008 – track 12, “Time to Be Good Friends”)
• Alexandru Andrieş – Du-mă înapoi (2010)
• Alexandru Andrieş – Incorekt (2011)
• Nicu Alifantis – Nevestele vesele din Windsor (2011)
• Alexandru Andrieş – Incorekt live (2012)
• Alexandru Andrieş – James Taylor (2012)
• Alexandru Andrieş – Excelsior live (2013)

I play piano since I was almost 6 years old and I love it. Besides byron, I have fun with a bunch of amazing musicians in the Dream Theater tribute band Awake.

Past projects: Magica (power metal), Phonopia (progressive metal) and a number of other collaborations (e.g. “The Merry Wives of Windsor” musical by Alex Tocilescu, with music by Nicu Alifantis).

I appeared in several videos, at the Mozart Rocks show at the Palace Hall in Bucharest alongside the National Radio Orchestra of Romania and I’ve toured Europe with Magica, Nightmare and After Forever. I also played with Vladimir Pocorschi Band, and with Alexandru Andrieș on numerous occasions (Act Theater, Cinema Patria, Excelsior Theater…)

I also do visual art: I’ve done the cover art for a Magica album, all byron releases (including most posters) except Forbidden Drama, Spitalul de Urgență – FPS and Soleanu/Popescu/Romanescu/Golcea – Live in Bucharest, as well as a number of photo collaborations (including 2 album covers) for Alexandru Andrieș. I tested our fans’ sanity with the puzzle-games “byromania” 1 and 2, which I designed and illustrated.

by Alexandru Trifan

2009, shooting the “Watercolor” video; by Ştefan Panfili

Discography (non-byron)

• Magica – Lightseeker (2004)
• Trooper – Desant (2005)
• Trooper – Electric (2006)
• Magica – Hereafter (2007)
• Magica – Wolves & Witches (2008)
• Reunation – A Tribute to Running Wild (Magica, 2009)
• Fortuneteller – Secret of My Life (2009)
• Alexandru Andrieș – Petală (2009)
• Mia’s Children (DVD, with Alexandru Andrieș, 2010)
• Alexandru Andrieș – Incorekt (2011)
• Nicu Alifantis – Nevestele vesele din Windsor (2011)
• Alexandru Andrieș – Incorekt at Excelsior Theater (2012)
• Alexandru Andrieș – JT (2012)

I graduated from the “Sigismund Toduţă” Music High School in Cluj-Napoca, where I did classic guitar. Not particularly drawn by the thought of attending the Music Academy, I chose the Arts & Design University, which I regretfully abandoned after one semester because I moved to Bucharest.

I started studying guitar when I was 11, and when I was 12 I got my hands on a bass guitar for the first time. I hadn’t let go of it ever since and I found myself taking part in all sorts of bands and projects: Marius Pop & The M-Theory, Headliner, Godmode, One.

Recently I started toying with the drum set and, unable to play bass at the same time, I called my friend Döme to give me a hand :))

I like movies, concerts, stages, music, books, knobs, mixers, studios, drums, photography, stars, nebulas, galaxies, Hubble, effects, camera lenses, video editing, beer, pizza, cooking (though I don’t cook), the mountains. Power outlets…

I dislike routine, zucchini, lies and doing a half-assed job.

Discography (non-byron)

• Marius Pop & The M-Theory – First Step (2010)
• Nicu Alifantis – The Merry Wives of Windsor (2011)
• Alexandru Andrieş – Incorekt at Teatrul Excelsior (2012)
• Alexandru Andrieş – JT (2012)

by Alexandru Trifan

2013, recording “Melancolic” at Real Sound & Vision; by Laszlo Demeter

Hi, I’m Döme and I’m a bass geek.

I love bass ’cause it’s like the glue that holds everything together, I love how it sounds, I love that you feel it rather than hear it, and

– back in ’95 I took my brother’s acoustic guitar and improved it with bass strings.

– around ’96-’97 I bought my first bass guitar and started jamming with my friends. I had no amp so I played through a radio. Then I moved on to a 3W hi-fi amp.

– around ’98-’99 I joined my first band, a hardcore trio! It was called Drenalin, and later on

– in 2003 I started playing bass in iCoRy.

– în 2004 Aszti brought me in Slang, with whom I played bass for 2 years in Bucharest. It was around then when I took part in byron’s first rehearsal ever, in 2006, after which I moved back to Târgu Mureș, hahah

– in 2011 I moved back to Bucharest and now I play in byron. I play the bass.

– In the mean time I make videos and animations – for me, for byron, for other bands, I photoshop bass guitars and create memes (another passion of mine), all the while being a motion graphics designer, actually.

– as a bass geek, my greatest achievement is taking part in the creation of a new series model, the Warwick Thumb SingleCut. I’ve been chosen as a Warwick endorsing artist in 2014.

– oh, and I also have a living room project called absurdcus where I go crazy and play every instrument I can find. I’ve already released an album and more will follow.

2014, official photo shoot; by Miluţă Flueraş

theÖutlet by absurdcus

[wolf_column col=”col-4″ first=”yes” ]
Costin Oprea †
guitar
(2006 – 2013)
[/wolf_column][wolf_column col=”col-4″ ]
Marcel Moldovan
drums
(2010 – 2011)
[/wolf_column][wolf_column col=”col-4″ last=”yes” ]
Cristi Mateșan
drums
(2006 – 2010)[/wolf_column]

[wolf_column col=”col-4″ first=”yes” ]
Vlady Săteanu
bass
(2008 – 2010)
[/wolf_column][wolf_column col=”col-4″ ]
Jacob Glick
bass
(2008)
[/wolf_column][wolf_column col=”col-4″ last=”yes” ]
Gyergyay Szabolcs
bass
(2006 – 2008)[/wolf_column]