Dream On, Dreamer

Everyone has a dream. Some dreams are relatively realistic and achievable, others fanciful and utterly absurd; but let yourself reflect on a more innocent time, before life’s harsh realities dashed the hopes of wide-eyed childhood, and some will remember aspiring to be a butcher, a baker, a candle-stick maker… or probably a fireman or rockstar like the rest of them. The majority of people will secretly harbour these plans for themselves throughout their lives, suppressed under a mountain of self-doubt and hindered from coming into fruition as ‘real world’ factors like financial security, social expectations and countless other priorities take precedence over personal ambitions. There are the rare few, however, that resolve to take a chance, to pursue their passion and persist down their chosen path. Frontman of Melbourne hardcore/experimental act Dream On, Dreamer epitomises the later. Marcel Gadacz dared to dream…"They say do what makes you happy, so I did," shrugs the vocalist, nonchalantly.

What Gadacz did was relocate from a small town near Berlin in his home country of Germany to Australia in pursuit of his dreams – which is no small feat considering a number of us can’t summon up the courage for a much needed career change. "After finishing school in 2007 it was pretty clear [to me] that I wanted to live in another country, learn a new language and of different cultures," Gadacz recollects.

"Germany is a beautiful place, but for someone like me it’s not exactly the place to be for the rest of my life. I felt like I wasn’t a part of that strict ‘German lifestyle’. Basically, you go to school; finish it, get a full-time apprenticeship straight away or study for six years, then work in a job for the next 50 years and become another one of ‘them’," he elaborates.

"Music was a huge reason for me to relocate to Melbourne. What makes [Germany] different to places like Australia is the fact that it’s hard to find dedicated musicians [to collaborate with] because of the way people were brought up.

"Of course at the time I had no idea if Australia was a place where I had the freedom to chase my dreams," Gadaz admits, "[but] music was what I’d always wanted to do since I was 12 or so, and I saw in Australia a lot of potential… I was probably 16 when I started listening to Australian hardcore, and I thought ‘this place must be great if they bring out band after band to Europe.’"

When asked how he eventually knew Melbourne would provide the opportunities he sought, Gadaz accredits the fact that communicating with people across the globe is so effortless due to modern technology. "I had been talking to a few people from Melbourne over social network sites for a while before I moved here and I’d only heard good things about [the city]. It just felt right…"

Since then, Gadacz united with friends and fellow members – American Aaron Fiocca (drums), and Aussies Callan Orr (guitar), Luke Domic (guitar), Daniel Jungwirth (synth/keyboard) and Mcoy Lead (bass/clean vocals) and Dream On, Dreamer have become one Melbourne’s most recognised bands and a prominent name on the Melbourne core scene.

The band released their debut EP Hope in 2010, and have spent time relentlessly playing shows in the Melbourne club scene as well as taking part in this year’s Take Action Tour alongside Attack! Attack! and Pierce The Veil. The group are yet to take their music back to Gadacz’s home in Germany, but the singer expresses his hope to do so in the near future.

"Germany is an awesome place for overseas bands. I remember going to shows over there, seeing big bands playing huge shows in front of thousands of people. There’s a huge heavy music scene. Like, you will have all the support possible if you are an established English speaking band. The funny thing is though, English obviously isn’t the language we speak over there, so thinking back now it seems people just liked heavy music – without actually knowing what band is sing about," he laughs.

Gadacz’s ability to leave behind the familiarity of his home country for a career in music exemplifies the significance of the art in his life. "Life without music is unimaginable," Gadacz affirms, "music and creating music [helps me to] me get over things. I don’t know where I would be right now without playing music. Everything I do involves music."

"Music is the best way to express feelings," he clarifies, "Writing lyrics for me means dealing with problems I find in society or humanity. I hear so many people always complaining about how bad their lives are, but I’m trying to focus on the good side of things. We can honestly call ourselves very lucky that we live in a society that provides us with food everyday and all sorts of luxury," he observes, "Through my lyrics I’m trying to show that there are far worse things out there and that we should never take anything for granted. We go through painful times in life, but there is always hope and people who care for you if you care for them."

Dream On, Dreamer have recently begun composing material for their debut full length album, and Gadacz divulges that lyrically the record will be much more personal than Hope. "You can expect an honest record with a lot of heart and soul. The last two years of my life have changed me as a person so much," he discloses, "love [is] probably the strongest thing you will come across in life, and it is incredible what it does to you and your personality… I’ve learnt from mistakes, [like] trusting certain people, and I have gone through a lot in the past; but it only made me stronger and way more confident in the end…it kind of felt like I had to go through all that pain to appreciate life more, and to become who I am today," he says of the record’s content.

Musically, Gadacz says the band have progressed since Hope. "Our songs have matured a lot, and I would say [the album is] angrier and heavier than Hope… We didn’t want to write the same record twice, but it is still Dream On, Dreamer and I don’t think we will disappoint any of our older fans… Our sound itself has become slightly heavier – but we still have catchy singing melodies that hopefully will be liked by our fans. I’d say everyone in the band has matured as musicians, so I can’t wait to show you all what the new record sounds like."

The band will be recording the new release in the U.S.A in the next few months, with a producer and mixing team that have contributed to the works of a selection of other heavy music artists such as The Devil Wears Prada and Emmure. "We will be recording the new album in Florida in April and May with producer Cameron Mizell at a studio called Chango Studios. We also have the great pleasure to work with Joey Sturgis who will be mastering our tracks – so we are just really excited to see how everything turns out. We liked a lot of Cameron’s previously produced albums and it all sounds very promising. We are stoked!"

"It’s really hard to say who has the primary musical vision in our band," Gadacz deliberates,

"We all have so many different influences musically that make the sound of Dream On, Dreamer unique – without wanting to sound arrogant."

Prior to jetting over to the ‘States to record, Dream On, Dreamer are scheduled to accompany Deez Nuts on their forthcoming Kids And Clubs tour – a tour designed to cater for a broader audience, with shows planned in clubs and venues as well as an all-ages dates at the annual Pushover Festival. Aficionados of club appearances, Dream On, Dreamer are now excited about the opportunity to play to larger festival crowds.

"We love festivals but we haven’t played many festivals at all. We are so excited to be part of this year’s Push Over Festival," Gadacz enthuses. "It will be a great experience with a lot of good people and awesome bands."

DREAM ON DREAMER play PUSHOVER at The Abbotsford Convent on Saturday March 13 alongside Anchors, Children Collide, Deez Nuts, Hopeless, House Vs. Hurricane, Trainwreck, Metals, Oh Mercy and many more. Tickets are still available through Ticketek, Oztix and Moshtix. For details, visit thepush.com.au.