The band formed in the mid 1990's in Modesto, California, as the instrumental trio Carcinogen, with Jeremy Penick on guitar, original bassist Jimbo Boyington, and drummer, Colin Torres. Eventually the band would go on to replace their bass player with Ryan Burchfield. With the new line up the music evolved into a more structured sound, with Jeremy Penick taking up the vocals. They soon found themselves recording a 4 song EP, “Cleansing” in 1995. It was a successful independent release and the band found themselves in demand and climbing from the underground to the West Coast club circuit. 

The trio chased their dream to the City of Angels, where they recruited Sacramento native and long time friend Dan Noonan (formerly of early incarnations of Static-X and Spineshank) to fill the second guitar slot. The move and line up change seemed to inspire the band, and began the evolution into a new chapter of musical creativity, with a concentration on song writing and structure. With their change in sound came their new name, Depswa, and a natural evolution from one of the heaviest underground bands to a discovery of their true musical identity. They recorded “Faithless” a 4 song demo, in 2000 and toured the west coast sharing stages with the likes of Nickelback, Disturbed, Stone Sour, Danzig and Sevendust. Back home they frequently played the infamous Los Angeles hot spots The Whiskey, The Roxy, Viper Room, and the Troubadour to sold out crowds.

They soon caught the attention of Geffen records who signed them in October of 2001. They added drummer Gordon Heckaman and second guitarist James Mills. With the line up complete they found themselves in the studio  recording their upcoming debut album “Two Angels and A dream.” The album was produced by Howard Benson (POD, Blindside) and engineer Mike Plotnikoff, (Kiss, POD) and later mixed by Chris Lord-Alge. They began a relentless tour schedule beginning with Rob Zombie, Adema, Ill Nino, and Down, on a festival tour. After a short break the band went on a nationwide tour playing in support of Mudvayne and Taproot..

After a month off, I got a chance to catch up with all of them today at the their practice space, otherwise known as “The Dump.” They are making preparations to barbecue and play a special live set for their die hard street teamers. They are headed back to the road in a week for another tour with Trust Company, Chevelle, and Blindside.

MR: So how are things going with the label?

Depswa: Things are going really smooth, they have been receptive and really behind us. They’re happy with how the album turned out and are looking forward to the release.

MR: Is the album still dropping in February or has the date changed?

Depswa: It is being moved back a little. We haven’t finished the artwork yet, and there are some things that have to happen before the release. We are looking at April or May.

MR: How’s the chemistry of the new line up? Has it been a smooth transition?

Depswa: It’s been great. We’re all friends and that’s something we’ve always prided ourselves on, everyone in this band is friends before anything else. I think that’s been a tremendous help towards our longevity.

MR: I think you all really gel together, and back each other up. I think the addition of James was great, and Jeremy’s vocals have seriously improved since he has been able to just put all his energy into singing.

Depswa: That was the main reason why we added another guitar player and Jeremy just focused on his vocals is to make them the best they can be.

MR: How’s the response been to the demo that Streetwise put out?

Depswa: It’s been amazing. We’ve been getting a lot of emails and people going to the message board and asking about the CD, people that have never heard us before. So far all of it has been really positive.

MR: I still have people asking me for them, I got a whole box and they went fast. You do have a lot of fans in Portland, after you played at Columbia Meadows here.

Depswa: We definitely want to go back there, especially after we got stuck in the snow and didn’t make this last show. That was a nightmare, being stuck on the pass. It took us 30 hours to get to Portland! It was a test, if 8 guys can hang together that long snowed in and stuck in a van without killing each other, it’s gonna work out.

MR: I think a person could go insane stuck in a van with all of you guys!  You were missed at the Portland show; there were a lot of people asking about you, especially the local radio station here, KUFO.

Depswa: Yeah we definitely want to apologize to everybody in Portland and we want to make it up there to play as soon as we can.

MR: So tell me a little about the video you were shooting in Mexico.

Depswa: It was for the song “This Time.” It’s all filmed in Mexico, and it all revolves around a bullfight. One of the directors of photography for the movie Triple X was the producer, and he got some really good action shots. It was all shot on film, so it’s really great.

MR: The outtakes I saw were really hilarious. Is the album still gonna be titled “Two Angels and A Dream”?

Depswa: Yeah, that hasn’t changed.

MR: Can any of you remember what the first album that you ever owned or went out and bought was?

Depswa: (Gordon)It was a Michael Jackson album! Yeah Thriller, that was it! Then (Ryan) I got a gift for my first one…I was like 5 years old. It was WHAM! (Jeremy) Mine was Deicide (laughing) The first album I actually bought was by Men at Work, in sixth grade. I think it was called Cargo.

MR: So what have all of you been listening to, or bought lately?

Depswa: We all listen to Queens of the Stone Age, Steve Miller Band…Tori Amos…(Laughing)I don’t know, we all listen to a lot of everything. I’m always looking for something new to inspire me; obviously inspiration is a goal for a musician.

MR: What’s the writing process like for you guys? Does the music or the words come first?

Depswa: It’s happened in all different cases, like one of the songs on our old demo, I actually wrote the words before we wrote any of the music, the words flowed in such a manner that it created a rhythm, you could hear a rhythm as I was singing it back. It just kind of created itself.

MR: Does Jeremy write all the lyrics?

Depswa: Mostly, we probably come up with the music first, like Jeremy will have a melody in his head and then we usually write the music first and then give him a little time to write the lyrics.

MR: What’s your favorite city or venue to play?

Depswa: There’s just so many of them. LA, Phoenix, Denver, Hartford, CT, Reno, New Orleans, I mean there’s too many great places to name. This last tour I would say all of them were great shows. For us it was a positive experience at every show. We have a totally different experience in every city. San Antonio! There were just so many good shows, good places and great people that we met.

MR: What was touring with Mudvayne like?

Depswa: They are such great guys, them and Taproot. Before Taproot 40 Below Summer was on the tour and we became really good friends with those guys, the whole crew, they are all like friends and brothers now. It was a good thing. We made a lot of new friends on tour.

MR: Are you doing anything new for the upcoming tour with Trust Company and Blindside?

Depswa: It starts out, I think for the first part of the tour it's Trust Company, Chevelle, and us, and I think a band called Pacifier is opening. Then half way through Chevelle drops off and Blindside comes in.

MR: I just saw Trust Company, with Disturbed recently and I thought when I saw them that you would fit really well together.

Depswa: Yeah, they are really good friends of ours, and are definitely good guys.

MR: So what do you do to prepare for a show? Do you have any before show rituals?

Depswa: Stretching, yeah we all stretch out. We take a crap! Together! On one pot. It’s a giant communal shitter! (everybody laughing) No, really, we usually like to go off on our own, at least I know I do. We usually go and be away from everyone, like right before the show we will just hang out backstage, just the band and kind of mentally relax and prepare and then we go out there and its business as usual.

MR: Who has been your biggest inspiration in life, personally or musically?

Depswa: (Dan) I find inspiration in everything. All the bands we grew up listening to were pretty inspirational. Just seeing how their careers went and wanting to be in the same position they are in. We became inspired watching the people that we admired growing up. (Ryan) I don’t really know what inspired me, I just know I always wanted to play. (Jeremy) I think life and situations in life that were inspirational helped me to develop my more creative side.

MR: What would a perfect day off be like for you, whether it be on the road or at home?

Depswa: Wakeboarding, snowboarding, surfing, Internet porn! (laughing) Motorcycles, tacos, and a lot of beer!

MR: Beer, of course! That’s a necessity. Seriously now, do you have any advice for new artists that are looking to make a career in music that started out like you did, and work their way from the ground up?

Depswa: Never give up, and never get discouraged. Make sure that your band members are a tight knit unit and friends above all. That’s really going to help determine how long you will be able to stay together, how well you get along. Have honest intentions, and never give up on your dream!

MR: What do you think the next year is going to be like for Depswa? Depswa: Busy! A whole lot of touring! Just staying out there on the road, and playing shows.

MR: Anything else you want to tell the world, any parting comments?