Vegas Archive: bydeathsdesign ‘Don’t Test the Universe’ (2004)

Sep 7, 2015 Posted by Guest In Vegas Archive Tagged bydeathsdesign Comments 0

Click here to download Don’t Test the Universe

[ezcol_2third]Welcome to Vegas Archive, a feature where we re-release music from local bands that are gone, but certainly not forgotten.

Today we’re bringing you the complete discography of hardcore punk band bydeathsdesign, who were active in Vegas from 2002-2008 and have continued to play very sporadically since then. For more information about the band and these songs, read the commentary from bydeathsdesign’s Sean Delanty.

Bydeathsdesign started as a spin off from another band a few of us were in called Spilltowne. That was in 2002 I guess. We had the idea of writing and playing songs we loved and were not focused on being popular or signing to a label. It was just about having fun making music together.

I met Josh Edwards (guitar/vocals) first and he knew some people and they knew people and so on. We all had the same mindset which was to just make music we like. Our next thing was to record a few songs to give out to friends and things just kind of began to take on a life of their own. We didn’t play our first show until we had something recorded to give people.

From there, every show had a special meaning, but small shows in packed venues were always my favorites. The YourLocalScene.com showcases were always a good time and Gameworks got crazy at times.

After playing in Vegas for a bit we started setting up tours. We kept them DIY, so we went most of the times on our own. Shows on tour were a great time but nothing beat the hometown crowd. I really loved the Gameworks and Rock N Java shows back in the day.

2002 to 2008 saw a huge growth in the music scene here in Vegas – the scene has exploded compared to when we started out. There were a small handful of venues to play and not many bands. Hardcore and punk were relegated to a small handful of bands. It was a completely different landscape. We spent more time playing outside of Vegas due to the lack of venues. In a sense that was a good thing. It seemed there was a 6 month life cycle from when a venue opened to when it closed in Vegas. It was sad. Now there are tons of places which in a way makes it more challenging for locals to get a loyal following and explore everything outside of the city’s borders.

But when we came home from our east coast tour back in 2006 things were never the same between any of us. That was a tough tour for all of us. It was the tour that made us realize things had become toxic between some of us and would never be the same. I hate to say it but that cliche party-like-a-rock-star lifestyle was real and was killing us. Drugs and booze had become an issue with some of us. The bigger name record labels that were interested in signing us had heard shit had gone bad with some of the band members and decided to pass on us.

Shortly after that tour we took a break from each other while some of us healed, then revisited the music and began to write for the next record. However, things were off and not the same. It became impossible to finish the record. We all just kind of grew into liking different things. We decided to call it a day and on occasion we will get back together for a show or two. We still love each other like brothers. We have a lot of history together.

Today many of us still dabble in music, but not nearly on the level of BDD. I do solo stuff at home and Josh is a full time wood work artist.

-Sean Delanty