Calling By Divine Right‘s current line-up “the best” is a bold statement from front-man and nucleus Jose Miguel Contreras—the band has had a rotating cast of close to 30 members over 20 years.
The current lineup — Geordie Dynes on drums, Alysha Haugen on bass—have been touring and recording together for almost the full cycle of two albums.
“This may be a first. We actually survived the touring of a record, the release of another record and then the making of another one,” Contreras says.
Keeping the same group of musicians together this long is uncharted territory for Contreras. The band’s most recent (and ninth) album, Organized Accidents, features Contreras and Dynes playing together—they met Haugen when they were half done recording. Their next album, he says, is being mastered, and he’s already demoing songs for an album after that, which he hopes Dynes and Haugen will play on as well.
“They’re both super positive people, and the vibes are so healing inside the band,” says Contreras of Dynes and Haugen.
Contreras was amazed how much Organized Accidents carried the melodic, experimental and spontaneous vibe the band has always had, despite all the changes over the years.
“I was just in shock at how much it sounded like By Divine Right considering I’m just so far away from where I was 10 years ago, 15, 20,” Contreras says.
Contreras originally made music for himself—no ambitions, no dreams of being famous or getting signed. He played shows with a band because people liked what he was doing, but he soon broke it up because he thought it sucked.
“By Divine Right broke up in 1993, if there was ever a band. Everything that happened after that was me and whoever was around — and often, nobody was around,” says Contreras.
Contreras’ list of former bandmates is expansive, and impressive; Feist, Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning , and Wintersleep’s Loel Campbell, who once drummed for By Divine Right, are just a few. But he couldn’t seem to get comfortable with any musicians until now.
“I pulled away from a lot of people and most of them became super famous, and I pulled away because it got weird for me and I guess maybe I got signed first and I didn’t enjoy that everyone was my friend. It freaked me out,” says Contreras.
And, in the early days, the Toronto music industry wasn’t interested in By Divine Right, a band led by someone who didn’t look the part and didn’t follow the expectations of the time.
“I wasn’t some sexy lead singer with long hair, and it’s 1993 and that’s what I should be doing. We’re not moshing and I’m not kissing ass to Murderecords and Sonic Unyon.”
Interest came after the band got a record deal with Squirtgun Records for the release of 1997’s All Hail Discordia. At this point Contreras felt like everybody was his friend in Toronto. He even had people move to Toronto telling him they wanted to be in the band.
The current lineup came together after drummer Geordie Dynes contacted Contreras saying he heard By Divine Right didn’t have a drummer. Contreras told Dynes he did have a drummer, but things went sour, so Dynes got a call and has been part of the band ever since. Alysha Haugen joined the band having never played bass through an amp before.
“The three of us clicked from the first road trip we did,” says Contreras regarding the current lineups first tour together, opening for Wintersleep.
Wintersleep and By Divine Right have a long history—including drummer Loel Campbell’s joining the By Divine Right lineup for a brief period while still in Wintersleep.
The Wintersleep consensus of the current By Divine Right lineup: it’s the best cast rotation they’ve seen yet.
Contreras agrees.
“I think right now, my lineup is the best BDR lineup, and that’s saying a lot.”
Photo: Mixtape / Evan MacIntyre
The following article is from the Winter 2013 issue of Mixtape which you can read for free through our Issuu page. The story on By Divine Right can be found on page 39.
