Dead on Planet Earth (DPE) was a hard-driving 5-piece rock band from Sacramento, CA. The original band members from left to right in this photo are, Martin Christopher (rhythm & lead guitars), Dave Amarante (drums and background vocals), Bryan Gore (lead vocals), Aaron Douglas (bass) and Ted Taylor (rhythm and lead guitars). During their time together they recorded one studio album at Sacramento's infamous Pus Cavern Studios (Def Tones, Cake, Oleander), and the album achieved moderate success -- winning several battle-of-the-bands competitions and getting a fair amount of radio-play, from Northern California all the way to Germany! Give the album a listen below...
Save Me Now was originally written during the days of "OutShine". The guitar riff and general song structure was developed by Dave Amarante, but Dave was struggling to come up with lyrics and a theme to go along, so Aaron Douglas finished this one off with the words and vocal melody. The song is told from the perspective of a worldly-traveling vagabond who's reflecting back on the disdain he so frequently receives from a society that looks down on his chosen way of life.
Super Dope Tite came to life organically during a late night jam session. While the rest of the band members were taking a (toke) break, Aaron Douglas dropped a new bass line he'd been working out, and just like that...the break was over: Dave joined in on the groove, and Bryan Gore began belting out an improv vocal melody. The guitars started blaring, and by the end of the night the overall framework for the song was taking form!
Unknown to the other DPE crew members, Don't Wanna Be The One was initially sparked while Aaron Douglas was working out how to play the bass line for The Red Hot Chili Peppers' song, Californication. As Aaron meddled with a variation of Flea's ultra melodic bassline, the other guys quickly picked up on another side of the groove and took the song in a different direction. Add in some great lyrics and vocal articulation, and Don't Wanna Be The One was born. Listen closely and you can definitely hear the influence of Californication in the opening bass line.
Bleeding Within evolved out of a few late night sessions of free jamming against a melodic bass/drum progression that had been floating around the studio. Bryan dug deep and found the right lyrical theme, and then the song was capped off with some creative ambient guitar work. In the end Bleeding Within really showcased DPE's ability to cover the more mellow, pop-oriented side of their repertoire.
Good Day began with a funky drum pattern by Dave Amarante. From there, a highly improvised song ensued that touched on multi-genres, from pop-rock, to hip-hop, to reggae. Just an all around feel-good song!
In My Head's signature sound comes from a Ted Taylor Wah-driven intro followed by a 5-string bassline that really showcases the low B String. Another fan favorite, Bryan Gore once again dug deep searching for some meaning, and he found exactly what he was after. This one spans the grunge/rap-rock genres, and hits in all the right places.
Much like Super Dope Tite, Circles is a great example of DPE's propensity to explore their funky, out-of-the-box side of creativity. With a driving groove, poetic lyrics, a spatial bridge sequence and shredding guitar solo (compliments Martin Christopher), this song was a band favorite and always a blast to play live to a high-energy crowd.
Who you Are was written by Martin Christopher and was added to the DPE album lineup at the request of all the band members. Bryan Gore stylized the vocal melody, making it his own, and the others put their DPE flare on the final arrangement. In the end, Who You Are was a radio-forward addition to the song lineup, and tended to be especially well-received by all the female DPE fans.
Of A Girl sprung from a distinct bass line followed by instrumentation and vocals that perfectly reflected the spacy sound of the song. This was one of the more mellow songs on the album and was always a crowd pleaser...also a favorite song of some of the band members.
Who's To Blame started out as a Justin Chancellor-inspired bass riff that later got reimagined on the electric guitar. This song drives hard and probably is the best example on the album of Bryan Gore's propensity to dig deep and get personal with lyrics. This song also showcases some very melodious guitar work, especially following the bridge when a dueling guitar melody ensues. This song really captured the DPE signature sound, and even featured some not-too-easily-heard backing vocal tracks of the entire band!
Release Yourself was based on an in-your-face guitar riff that Ted Taylor strummed up during one of the band's jam sessions, and the song materialized out of thin air. A very hard-hitting way to end the DPE album, and another fan favorite during the live performances!