Let's Talk Punk With Dragon and Berr
Interview By Lisa-PunkrPrincess
Punk Globe: Hi Thanks for chatting with us. Can you give us a little music background?
Dragon and Berr: We are Dragon and Berr. Edwin (Me) is Dragon and Donna my wife is Berr. All a play on nicknames. Well long before I met Donna, I loved music, a girl I was with at the time, tried to teach me about guitar…but it just would not take. Not as fast as I wanted anyway. It just felt unnatural to me. I played but it just did not feel right. Well jump ahead years later after meeting my now wife Donna, and we had a daughter. Our Daughter had a thought and got me a left-handed guitar. Everything clicked then. I am a right-handed dominant, left-handed freak player. I really poured into it then. At some point, Donna dragged me kicking and screaming to Karaoke and other open mic stuff and I actually started liking it. After several years I started writing songs. Donna surprised me and wanted to get into drumming. So we got along with what we had for a time, eventually getting her a drum coach who we trusted. Sean John Holmes who is the lead singer for Silhouettes on Screen. I also poured into songwriting and took some classes online with Berklee. We have been creating songs wherever they lead us ever since. So over 10 years of being actually serious about it. The first album was highly experimental, as in, we had no clue what we had been doing. But for some reason, people responded and wanted more. So, we kept creating. I learned about mixing and mastering and recording so we could produce ourselves.
Punk Globe: Are you under any label?
Dragon and Berr: Just our own, Loose Bolt Records. We created it to work virtually with people and not always in the box projects. We also produce and mix and master other artists when we can.
Punk Globe: Describe your g process.
Dragon and Beer: What we do, much like us. Is all over the map. So, to help us along we have a large whiteboard for writing what is being worked on and for any idea notes. Sometimes it can come from a phrase and it gets built around that phrase. Sometimes it even starts with a title and builds from that. I also carry a small notepad on that I jot things down . Once we have something we start to consider what kind of sound we are going for. Sometimes we start and get rid of it, till we get what we call the groove. When we really feel it. The music may change…Then as the music progresses, and we are writing the lyrics… often the lyrics can change. Sometimes we have a temp lyric until something sounds and feels right to us. There are times Donna will throw a lyric or change a lyric that really brings things together. We tend to record and mix as we progress. Other than writing lines or ideas on the whiteboard we also just get together and do what we call make noise. Like a jam session without any true goals. We don’t go into it with a plan, but something comes out of it. Sometimes we do sneak in some autobiographical stuff in a song, and people have a lot of fun wondering what may be true and what isn’t. Sometimes we may be out on the town or something and we observe others, we kind of make up some story about someone on the spot and that becomes a song. Like why is that woman sitting there drinking all alone? We start to pretend what brought them there. Was it a tragic love? What led up to it? We often say, please forgive our lyrical observations.
Punk Globe: How many releases have you had?
Dragon and Berr: Six full albums under Dragon and Berr (Not counting the singles released from them.) Then we also did an album with this one Metal Artist we produced for. Chris Waters (I, Misanthrope) We wrote the whole EP “Two Faced Death Dealer” album for him and performed on it. So, the count is really Seven Albums. With another album from us looming very soon now in 2023.
Punk Globe: Any new music releases?
Dragon and Berr: Yes, we have the new album “When You’ve Been Done Wrong” coming out on May 5th 2023 worldwide. We debuted the single “It Doesn’t Have to Be Suicide” early on the PunkrPrincess whatever show recently.
Punk Globe: What inspires you to do what you do?
Dragon and Berr: For me (Dragon)there is nothing like pouring yourself into a song. Playing around with the guitar and making sounds turn into sounds that make some sense, or sometimes not make sense. Originally, we both liked going out and covering and singing other peoples’ songs. But I really wanted to do our own. Donna (Berr)not long after, soon wanted to jump in as well. Songwriting is really that great creative outlet that we both like. Both of us have our favorite bands and artists that have inspired us over the years. I think that is a first step for just about anyone. Seeing them create and go, I wanna do some cool stuff like that. It’s a good outlet for me (Dragon) dealing with Anxiety and Depression.
Punk Globe: How often do you do live gigs?
Dragon and Berr: Our live stuff has become very rare. We pretty much have gotten really comfortable being recording artists. Though we do get the itch and get out and do things like open Mic to scratch the itch. Having Chris Waters from I, Misanthrope comes over to our place and jam with us does have our kind of jonesing to hit the stage.
Punk Globe: Who are some of your favorite unsigned artists?
Dragon and Berr: Oh, wow our range is so diverse. So So, Forty37,
Silhouettes on Screen, Casket Robbery, Katie Ladubz, The CheeseBergens, The SoapGirls, we are always hearing other bands in the unsigned and DIY scene that we think are pretty freaking cool.
Punk Globe: Tell us your dream performance.
Dragon and Berr: Oh hell, Muddy Roots Music Festival would be kind of cool. Or Leeds Festival would be killer. #NOMUSICONADEADPLANET.
Punk Globe: When not making music what other hobbies do you enjoy?
Dragon and Berr: Both of us are gamers. We met in a gaming arcade way back in the day. So, we enjoy computer/xbox/ps games a lot. I (Edwin) also Enjoy acting and action scenes coordinating for stage and screen when I get a gig. Yes you can find us on IMDB (The Internet Movie DataBase)
Punk Globe: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
Dragon and Berr: Well for both of us musically that would be Styx, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Fall Out Boy, Arma Angelus, The Offspring, Black Flag, and Misfits As for non-musical. Our daughter grew into a strong young woman. Seeing how she’s navigating her life makes us proud and inspires us even more.
Punk Globe: What’s your outlook on the record industry today?
Dragon and Berr: The recording industry as a whole has exploded into a more multifaceted diverse experience for artists and music lovers, thanks to the internet. While it is an exciting thing for the music lover because there is such a huge chance to listen and collect music from recording artists, they would not usually hear of… it is daunting for the musical artist because worldwide, we are all just drops in the ocean of artists. That is part of why we have got comfortable in being just a recording artist and not a touring band. These days teaming up with radio stations that support the diversity of talent out there rather than just the corporate and money-backed artists is a must. The unsigned DIY artists get a platform, and the radio stations that support them get an exciting lineup of diversity. Then the audience gets to discover new out of box tunes from different viewpoints.
Punk Globe: Tell us a story about a musical experience.
Dragon and Berr: Donna (Berr) and I (Dragon) sitting around a campfire and having Ron Keel go through several songs acoustically from his then not yet released album that later came out in 2004 with his band Iron Horse. It was a moment that, at the time, not being a songwriter yet myself, I did not fully appreciate it. Now I know just how special that evening was. He was also the person that told me about being supportive of other bands. Not sure if he would remember any of that but it was a positive impact on me.
Also a supportive private video message from a few years back from The SoapGirls. It meant alot during some rough times.
Punk Globe: Anything you would like to add?
Dragon and Berr: Yea, I know your readers are into diverse music, but hey folks spread the word all you can about all these other awesome bands and recording artists out there. (And if you check us out and support us as well…Bonus!) And also, if you want to create music and songs yourself…..do not let anyone tell you what is and is not music or how it should be done. If you want to do it, make some noise and discover what is YOU in music and song.
Punk Globe: Where can we find your tunes?
Dragon and Berr: We are on Bandcamp, Itunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and really most music platforms worldwide. Of course, Bandcamp purchases support the artist more directly.
Punk Globe: Any shout-outs?
Dragon and Berr: Yes, a big shout out to Casket Robbery keep bringing the heavy sound! Extra Shout to Sean John Holmes who supported us early on. We can’t wait for your band’s next album. Shout to Katie Ladubz…Keep Being Fearless and Diverse. And Lisa Monday- Gomez for showing the love and supporting the unsigned/DIY community!
Punk Globe: Thanks for chatting with us and thanks to all the readers.
Dragon and Berr: Thank you so much for taking the time with us. Much love from Dragon and Berr.