Dark new Day is a fortunate coming together of seasoned industry veterans (Clint Lowery (lead guitar), Corey Lowery (bass), Will Hunt (drums), Troy McLawhorn (guitars), and Bret Hestla (vocals)), ranging in experience from Sevendust to Stereomud to Creed to Tommy Lee to doubleDrive, and then some. Having pretty much grown up together to boot, these 5 hot musicians finally came together to form Dark new Day.

April 14th, 2005, marked the dawning of a new day as Dark new Day's debut album made its release, but talk to lead guitarist Clint Lowery (of Sevendust fame), and the last thing he'll make it sound like is dark. That's what happened the afternoon before the band's debut release and show as Lowery set the record straight about his departure from Sevendust, life as a rock star, and the aim of Dark new Day.

Alternative Addiction: When you thought about forming this new band was there a sound that you already had in mind, or did you want to see how it all began to materialize?

Clint: We kind of had an idea of what it was going to be like. We just knew that it was going to be. Because everyone in the band could write, and everyone could sing, and everyone could do a lot, we knew that we were going to have a deep pool of talent to work out of. I think that we just had the idea that it was going to be an easy and a fun process to write, and record, and to play live, and just live together. We knew it was going to be a fairly easy thing to do and a fun thing to do. I think the sound, we kind of just started it being what it is, which is a lot of the singing, a lot of instrumentation, and just good songs.

AA: How has this band affected your departure from Sevendust? Did they see this coming?

C: I don't think anyone really saw it coming. To be honest with you, at the beginning of it I didn't realize that thing was going to snowball the way it did. I was working on the Sevendust record - the new one that's coming out - with them before I left. This thing sort of happened and started forming, and the scope of it started becoming clear, and I realized that I couldn't do both. I was going to try to do both. The Sevendust schedule just wasn't going to allow me to do it. There wasn't going to be a big enough hole in the timeline for me to actually step out and do a side thing. So, I had to make a decision. Sevendust had to make a decision. I think both parties involved - both bands - we deserve someone who's going to be there one hundred and ten per cent all the time. It just couldn't allow us the time to do both. I don't think either one of us saw it coming, but I think when you're in a band like this - Sevendust - for that amount of time, I think they're kind of sympathetic to it's my brother, and these are the guys I've known for a long time. So, I think people will understand it. I don't have any to hide. There's no animosity between me and any of these guys. We always got along great. I love them. I still love them. They're supportive to what we're doing now and what their future is going to be. I'll always be the biggest Sevendust fan out there.

AA: It's just kind of the way the chips fell.

C: Yeah.

AA: I'm not talking about if the band has been around long enough to be established rock stars. I'm talking about a persona that you embody regardless of a band. Is Dark new Day rock stars?

C: (laughs) I think that we definitely know what a rock star is. I think we definitely have our take on what rock stardom and that whole persona is. I think we kind of try to, I don't know, reenact some of the things we've seen some of our idols and musicians that have influenced us, and the way they carried themselves and the way they treated their fans, I think that's what we like to be. As far as the definition of a rock star, meaning someone that's very egotistical, I think that every band can have a little bit of ego within their music and within their stage performance, but I think that should end after the show's over. I think that just being a very humble group of guys, we just fit how we are, and it's kind of hard for us to. Anytime there's the rock star treatment, or we're in a situation where we feel like, "Oh, we're being rock stars," we just laugh about it. I think that we're rock stars when we need to be, and that's on stage. We try to do that. Growing up, I was a fan of music. I was the kid, I was the fan, I was the one out there wanting autographs, doing all those things. When those people would come and sign my stuff, and do all that, I look at them as this incredible. I looked at them as more of a rock star; as a very cool person as well. I don't know, I wouldn't say we're rock stars. We're just a very good band. I wouldn't go the rock star route.

AA: Your CD release is tomorrow. Are you a little unnerved about your show being elsewhere and not in hometown Atlanta?

C: Oh, yeah. As far as the release, I'm not really nervous. Obviously, on the day your record comes out you want to be around people that you're familiar with, whatever, the hometown, but I think it's going to be kind of cool because Minneapolis is a great place, and there's a lot of support up there, and I think it's going to be great wherever we are. We're just so excited about this thing coming out. We're going to have time to go back and be in Atlanta. We're kind of a spread out band as far as where our homebase is anyway, so there's not really a true homebase for this band. There's a few different spots that we have a lot of local support, just a hometown crowd kind of vibe. We have a few places like that will be just like home, but it's going to be great wherever we're at. It doesn't matter.

AA: I do think that it will be a great show. So, how do you feel about you're opening band? I hear it's SKYWYND.

C: Oh, man! See, I have a lot of history with those guys because when I was in Sevendust I got a chance to meet those guys, and we really fell in love with them. I got a CD of theirs. It's been a few years now. I've always wondered what was going on with them and when I found out they were going to be on the bill it just was incredible. They've got a lot of support there in the hometown and I think that's going to be great for our show. They're actually going to help us a lot more than we're going to help them as far as fans. I know they've got a lot of support there. It's great. I can't wait to see what their new sound is like and see them again and see what's been new with them, what's going on.

AA: Have all of the previous musical ventures of you and your band members been an aid to getting label support, or did labels say, "Yeah, it's nice that you all did that stuff, but this is a new, unheard of band, and we're going to treat it that way"?

C: Going into it, just as far as management and connections and a reputation, those are all things that we brought in with this band that I don't think could be ignored. I wouldn't want to think that the music I made with Sevendust, that I wasn't followed by it with this new band. The same goes with the rest of the guys. We were talking to Warner Bros when this thing started to develop. It was definitely the home we wanted to be at. We wanted to be with Warner Bros. It was one of those things we kind of went for. I think that they. they don't want to downplay what we've done in the past, but they do want - and we as well - want our merit to be judged on whatever show you see us at, or our new record coming out. We want that to be the basis on why you want to come to see this band. If Sevendust fans come to the shows, that's even better. I don't want to count on that, though. I'd rather count on our reputation now, what we're doing now, how dedicated we are, and all those things. I really want this thing to have its own legs and stand on its own and be its own animal. I think the only way to do that is just to be out there and show people what we're talking about; show them why we did this, and why we created this band.
-----

Special thanks to Clint Lowery, Michael Lannier, James Decoursey, and Penny Palmer.

-By Emmy Boyce
Alternative Addiction

They opened up the curtains and BAMM, it was like a gun went off, Dark New Day hit the floor slamming. Hard, thunder stricken riffs and vocals were instantly thrown out to the audience and the crowd went nuts for this band. The talent in this lineup will surely grab your attention as we have before us, on Lead Vocals - Brett Hestla (ex-Virgos Merlot and ex-Creed bassist), Clint Lowery - Guitar (ex-Sevendust), Corey Lowery - bassist (ex-StereoMud), Troy McLawhorm (ex-Doubledrive), and Will Hunt (ex-Skrape and lending hand in Tommy Lee's project).

Check out their debut album "Twelve Year Silence" and you will want more of what these boys have to offer. That being three of them having played and can play guitar. And all five of the these boys can sing harmonies, meanwhile being successful already in this profession, with hit albums from every one of them, makes one hell of an impression. Why haven't you heard more about them? I think that is about to change, and I look forward to much more from them. (read the entire article here..)

-Review By: Bren Alesch - Journalist/Photographer
Angelwing Photography

A list of their former bands reads like a modern rock pedigree: Stereomud, Skrape, Tommy Lee, Sevendust, Creed. But an unlikely jam session on Christmas Eve 2003 brought them together under a new banner.

"Clint and I and Will had been jamming some songs for some time, and that developed into something that we thought maybe we should take a little more serious," bassist Corey Lowery said of Clint Lowery and drummer Will Hunt. "When we all got to the studio, it was just magic, and the chemistry was there between everybody."

Corey Lowery, along with vocalist Brett Hestla, Clint Lowery, Hunt and guitarist Troy McLawhorn, began writing songs. Songwriting credits are shared on the band's 2005 Warner Brothers Records release, "Twelve Year Silence."

"Each of these guys in this band has been the lead songwriter in each of their previous bands, so there's a certain level of respect that everyone carries," Hestla said. "This band feels honest. It feels like everybody up on stage has earned their slot up there as far as the songwriting goes."

Hestla said that while such a collaborative songwriting process is unusual, it's a solid prototype for any band comprised of five expressive musicians.

"It's actually a much easier process," he added. "I think that's how a real rock band should work."

The musicians met 12 years ago while touring with different bands, and for years afterward, they met in bars and chatted about the music industry. Their debut album is titled "Twelve Year Silence" because it took 12 years before the friends were finally making music together.

Four hurricanes threatened last year while Dark New Day worked in an Orlando, Fla., studio to record the album. Hestla said the band had to evacuate the studio more than once, bringing already high tensions to a boiling point.

"There was a lot of environmental influence on the record," he said. "Inevitably, it changed everybody's mood and their mindset, which definitely influenced the writing."

Far from being cast as a one-dimensional rock act, Dark New Day's sound is engineered to trigger outrage, satisfaction and nearly every emotion in between.

"We just want to provoke all emotions, not just anger or aggression, but just happy, sad," Corey Lowery said. "We wanted it to be more of a roller coaster ride."

The band's focus is sustainability - Hestla said his goal is to keep Dark New Day intact for years to come - but it's also setting its sights on immortality.

Corey Lowery said the band strives "to have songs that live through time instead of songs that, 'this is a hit right now.' There are certain songs that get to live through time."

Here, he mentioned AC/DC's Back in Black, an album as likely to be found in a teenager's collection as a baby boomer's. Hestla emphatically agrees.

"My real dream is to be of retirement age and to hear my songs on golden oldies radio," he said. "That's the real dream - to know that you've made a work that will last forever."

With robust sales for "Twelve Year Silence" and radio airplay on the upswing, the name Dark New Day may soon be heard the world over.

"The most gratifying part is being well-received and having an audience applaud at all your hard work," Hestla said.

Dark New Day calls the Southeast home. Hestla and Hunt hail from Orlando, Fla., McLawhorn and Corey Lowery are from Atlanta and Clint Lowery lives in Louisville, Ky. The band's affection for the South includes an appreciation for North Carolina and for Southern music fans.

"I think people (in the South) are much more excited about rock shows in general because they don't see as many. It's a lot less common," Hestla said. "They're just way more excited, and it's a lot more fun to play for that kind of crowd."

Corey Lowery appreciates the South for a different reason.

"I like it 'cause y'all have sweet tea and grits," he said.

review by: Corey Friedman can be reached at 635-5670 or at cfriedman@freedomenc.com
Sun Journal Staff

Dark New Day's debut single "Brother" has climbed to No. 15 on the Billboard chart.-- Contributed

It's been just a few weeks since rock band Dark New Day made a stop in Montgomery to perform, but a lot of big things have happened since.

Since that May 1 show, the group's debut single "Brother" has climbed to No. 13 on the Radio and Records Active Rock chart and to No. 15 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart.

Their album was released in June and reached No. 1 on the Billboard HeatSeekers Album chart as the hottest selling album by a new artist.

Dark New Day also completed their first tour with Chevelle and are currently on tour with Seether and Crossfade.

Now, the band returns for a show today at Off the Wagon. Who knows what big things might happen after playing in Montgomery this time?

Dark New Day's members have spent time in bands such as Sevendust, Creed, Stuck Mojo, Stereomud, Skrape, Doubledrive, Virgos Merlot and the solo band of former Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee.

The group members (lead vocalist Brett Hestla, guitarists Troy McLawhorn and Clint Lowery, bassist Corey Lowery and drummer Will Hunt) put their other responsibilities with other groups on hold to form the band they've always wanted to be in with Dark New Day.

In a year that saw five hurricanes strike the Southeast -- including three that threatened their Florida recording studio -- Dark New Day decided not to go for the angry sound that many rock bands were heading toward, instead going with a sound that featured irresistible hooks and penetrating grooves.

Some of the group's standout tracks include "Lean" and "Follow the Sun Down."

-By Darryn Simmons
Montgomery Advertiser

Artist: Dark New Day
Album: Twelve Year Silence
Genre: Rock
Outstanding Tracks: Pieces, Fill Me Again, Evergreen

Dark New Day may seem like a brand new band to many, however, its member's roots trace farther back than most. The Lowery brothers and Troy McLawhorn not only grew up together, but also used to play together in the early 90’s in a band called Still Rain. During this time, the band toured extensively in the southeast region, forming friendships with Brett Hestla (who would be known for his work with Virgos Merlot and Creed) and Will Hunt (Skrape/ Tommy Lee band). After the dissolution of Still Rain, Corey went on to play in bands such as Stuck Mojo and Stereomud. Clint went on to make a name for himself with Sevendust, while McLawhorn went on to play in doubleDrive. Now, more than twelve years later, the five musicians are back together and making quite a racket.

Overall Impressions:

The album opens with a track called “Taking Me Alive”. The first 35 seconds of the track sound like someone walking down a windy, abandoned hallway, similar to what you would expect to see at the beginning of a horror movie. An eerie piano line cuts in but doesn’t drown out the background noise. Soon the drums fire in like a shot of lightning and the bass and guitars are quick to follow. Hestla’s vocals creep in right before the full effect of the song hits you. The middle of the piece boasts some squealing guitar that melds into some scorching solos before coming back around to the full-bodied rock riff to close.

“Brother” marks the first single off of the album. Already receiving extensive airplay, it isn’t hard to hear why. There is a quiet, recessed intro of guitar and drums before it all swoops to the forefront with a very Sevendust-esque riff. It smoothes out to an easy flowing, cyclic guitar line for the verses. The chorus careens in with a delicious energy, triggered by a hearty scream and pounding guitars. Hestla’s vocals really shine here, coming through with a concentrated intensity and silky smoothness.

“Pieces”, the fourth track on the disc quickly became a solid favorite. The intro sounds like scissors snipping and cutting paper and ripping through material while a guitar complains in the background. The music stutters and then launches into a highly catchy, distorted riff. A throaty scream in the background prompts Hestla’s singing and the track is off and running. The music actually breaks at about 3:10, giving the impression of ending before charging back in for round two. The song finally closes with a guitar wailing some parting thoughts.

“Follow The Sun Down” is a perfect last track for this album. Complete with a relaxed and swaying guitar riffs and syrupy sweet flow, this song is a gentle closer for a hard-hitting 11 track journey. The song conjures up an image of walking down a long dirt desert road to the horizon on a hot day as the sun stains the sky a warm orange.

Overall the songs have a solid rock vibe, complete with pounding distorted guitars and robust bass. The advantage of having two guitarists is evident, giving the songs a very full feel and creating dynamic soundscapes through out the album. Hunt’s drumming provides a strong backbone for each song and really remains prominent through out the tracks. Hestla’s strong and focused voice rounds out the five without monopolizing center stage. The fact that the vocalist isn’t the center of attention all the time is refreshing. Each member of the group gets their own opportunities to wander in an out of the spotlight. This really gives the whole album an integrated feel.

Dark New Day is not some super group side project, this is a complete five piece band where each member contributes a little bit of flavor from the past. While the influences may be evident in different parts of songs, you cannot really peg this album as being close to any of the projects. It is straightforward, honest music made by a group of talented musicians who have finally recorded with each other after all of these years. It was certainly worth the wait.

Rating: 9/10

Track List:

Taking Me Alive
Brother
Free
Pieces
Bare Bones
That’s Enough
Fill Me Again
Lean
Evergreen
Heal In Time
Follow The Sun Down

-source: Sonic Rampage.com [View Live Photo Shots Here]

• (VIDEO) DARK NEW DAY'S HESTLA LEARNED LESSONS FROM CREED'S DEMISE

Brett Hestla joined Dark New Day, a somewhat of an all-star band of the nu-metal scene, after settling into life as a producer. Hestla took the wild ride that was the end of Creed, filling in for the fired bassist Brian Marshall for the band's last tour. Creed's last gig was a famous New Year's Eve show nearly three years ago in which singer Scott Stapp appeared to be heavily influenced by drugs and/or alcohol. The show was so bad thanks to Stapp’s erratic behavior; the band broke up soon after.

With problems brewing within that band, Hestla, who earlier in his career had small success as the singer/songwriter for the Atlantic band Virgos Merlot, took mental notes on the experience. Upon fronting Dark New Day, Hestla talked about the hard lessons learned from Creed.

"When somebody's crying for help, it's time to stop the train and fix the problem or else everything goes away. There were a lot of things going down in that situation where it could have been av... I don't know if it could have been avoided, but you learn to take every step possible and you learn to make every cry for help from any person in any situation -- you learn to deal with that very seriously and to give it the attention that it deserves."

Hestla came out of "retirement," and he said the only ones who could have made him do so were the guys in Dark New Day, which is comprised of former members of Sevendust, Doubledrive, and Stereomud.

source: http://www.artisannews.com/

FLES: "Twelve Year Silence" is scheduled for release on June 14, 2005, (on Warner Brothers Records) what are you thoughts on this album?

Brett: I'm excited about it. It's a record we've been planning on recording in one form or fashion for about 12 years. We've known each other for quite a long time and we've been talking about doing this, getting together and writing songs the opportunity finally reared itself and we're excited about the results of what happened. We recorded the record ourselves, we paid for it ourselves. The record label bought it as is. Pretty big feat for a group of musicians to be able to pull that off.

FLES: When the band went into the studio how many songs were ready to record and how did the band decide which songs made it onto the album?

Brett: Actually, we wrote and recorded the songs in the studio and recorded them as we wrote. We ended up with 18 songs and narrowed it down to 11, by proxy of management vote and our vote.

FLES: Which songs will be released as singles?

Brett: Our first single is called "Brother," and it's already out on the active rock charts.

FLES: How does the band decide this process?

Brett: It's more about what the label and the management choose we're okay with any of the songs we recorded being singles. We're fine with whatever they pick. It's a matter of what songs they can put a marketing strategy behind and make work. Our fans have a strong say in what songs are the most popular as well.

FLES: Where does the band draw inspiration for their songs?

Brett: This record was kind of a collaboration of five different people's songs they had stored away. We brought them to the table and let everyone add on their input and their own flavors. The inspiration would come from five different people's fabric of their lives.

FLES: We heard when Creed broke up you decided to get into producing. When did you decide I still want to be in a band?

Brett: I had resigned myself to producing because it was something I enjoyed and I could stay at home. I have a child and it was allowing me some sort of normalcy being at home. My wife one day in the car asked me, "Are you ever going to play, sing, write songs or perform anymore?" I told her, "it would take pretty specific group of guys for me to want to do that." It just so happens I named off everybody that's in my band now. Two weeks later, [drummer] Will Hunt called me and said, "Hey, guess who I am playing with?" They had already had this thing brewing. They didn't know if I was interested as far as singing again because they had heard I was producing. So he called me just to see how I felt about it. When he told me who was involved that was the deciding factor, the members of the band made it worth it.

FLES: What are your favorite tracks off the record?

Brett: That's really hard to say, I have eleven favorite tracks off the record. I guess, I have to say, the first song we worked on together as a group is a song called "Bare Bones," there's some sort of magic in that track that you can't really deny, because it was the first one
I guess that makes it my favorite. I really love all the tracks there all heart felt worthy tracks there's no filler on this record at all. Every song could lend itself to being a really big song for the band.

FLES: How did you feel when you found out "Taking Me Alive" was going to be featured in the "House of Wax" soundtrack?

Brett: It's always an honor for a film to pick your music as the score for a movie or in the soundtrack. We're all very excited to have that happen.

FLES: Where can fans go to sample tracks then purchase the album?

Brett: There are a few songs for sale on iTunes right now. They can sample songs off of our website DarkNewDay.com <http://www.darknewday.com/> . We also have a myspace site at myspace.com/darknewday <http://myspace.com/darknewday> .

FLES: With more and more music being available for purchase at online sites like iTunes do you think this is the beginning of the end for the CD?

Brett: I think people are going to download music and I think there's still large part of society that wants the art work and wants to see what the band looks like and they want to read the lyrics off the inside and who they thank. There's still a lot of people who want to buy vinyl. I don't think it will ever be gone. The CD is certainly a good sounding representation that's long lasting. It kind of mirrors the vinyl record where it has the art work on the actual disc whereas the cassette is a piece of plastic with writing on it. It wasn't very nostalgic. You didn't recognize the cassette just by looking across the floorboard of your car the CD you go that's the whatever disc.

FLES: Striving from well-established bands, what obstacles has Dark New Day been able to avoid that newer bands may have trouble dealing with?

Brett: I think we all know what to expect out of the music business in general. We understand it truly is about numbers to a record company. It's about does this make sense? You can't go to a bank and get loan to make a houses out of popsicle sticks. They're not going to give you a loan for that. If you have something that is a viable product and can really effect society and be something that a lot of people could embrace, latch onto and follow then, I think the risk is not so great. The main thing we learned being in our other bands is not to waste the business side of the music business' time. You learn how to make a record and making a record that is good for the fans, good for the band musically, but also makes sense as far as something you can market.

FLES: How helpful do you think online publications such as Florida Entertainment Scene are in helping to promote bands like Dark New Day?

Brett: The more press and more publications there is online or in print the better. You can't discount any form of advertisement or publication at all its very valuable to a band like us. The online thing is spreading so fast and becoming such a staple in the music business. You really have to give a little extra attention to the online publications and a little extra credit. You can have a magazine for a month you throw it away and it's gone. You can still go find archived articles forever it seems like online. I still see articles that I did in 1997 for Virgos Merlot online in archival pages.

FLES: What was your first show as a member of Dark New Day like?

Brett: (Laughs). Our first show was following a horrific day of travel. Started with our guitar players video camera {he had} to film our live shows then upload to
our website getting completely destroyed by something crashing on it. As he was showing us the rubble of his camera we started seeing water pouring out onto the floor. We realized our toilet on the bus was overflowing, so we fixed that. As soon as we sat down with our feet resting on the wet towels all over the floor a guy on a Harley pulls up beside us and yells out to our bus driver "you got a flat tire." We were three hours late getting to our first gig, we go onstage without a sound check it was what you call a nightmare.

FLES: What are your thoughts on playing in this year's (Real Rock 101 one) Earth Day Birth Day?

Brett: This will be my third Earth Day Birth Day. Two with Virgos Merlot and it will be the first with this band. It's always an incredible amount of fun and there's always so many great bands and always a mass of people who are just hungry to hear any kind of music whatsoever. It's one of my favorite shows of the year to play. To be asked this year to do it so early in our career was really an honor for us. 101.1 has always taken really good care of us.

FLES: What do you have to say to your fans who read this Interview?

Brett: Thanks for hanging in there, sorry it took me so long to get back out, I guess that's what I would say to my fans. For the fans of this new band hang on we're gearing up to give you guys a hell of a ride.

-Interview by Domenica Acquarulo and Michael Montes Florida Entertainment Scene