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 The Dish on Depswa "I don't recall ever being this way before." Although alternative rock reached a populat peak during the 1990's, its popularity had begun to wane by the new millennium. Consequently, many alternative bands faded into obscurity or died natural deaths. Depswa is one band that evaded such destiny. Coming from Carcinogen From the bedroom community of Modesto, California, came the instrumental act Carcinogen, an effort of Jeremy Penick, then a college student. Carcinogen made its mark in the local music scene with Cleansing, a 1995 4-track EP. In early 1996, Ryan Burchfield – a well-known musician from the area – got on board as bassist, and Penick switch over to vocals duty. Within a couple of years, Carcinogen had already expanded its fan base to other nearby cities, especially with the release of their 6-track self-titled EP in 1998. When the band saw that they had become fairly popular in Los Angeles, they decided to relocate there permanently. In February 1998, Dan Noonan was added to the roster as guitarist. The band – Penick, in particular – went through a time of deep reflection after the drastic change. With an altered perspective on his music and performances, Penick encouraged the band to change its name to Depswa in order to show the group's new take on their music. By 2000, when many alternative bands were already beginning their decline, Depswa released their debut EP, Faithless. Reaching for the Moon Faithless was received very well, attracting the attention of both fans and several record labels. They eventually decided to sign with Geffen Records. The band toured extensively after the EP's release, performing in such prestigious venues as Troubador and Roxy in L.A. Gordon Heckaman signed on as drummer in 2001, and North Californian James Mills joined the band early the following year. Mills' addition was just in time for him to contribute some work towards the band's 2003 debut album, Two Angels and a Dream. Depswa's Decline? 2003 proved to be an eventful year for the band. After releasing their debut album and becoming a part of the 2003 Ozzfest, Depswa got into some money trouble with Geffen Records. The band returned to L.A. after the incident and left Geffen Records. In December of that year, James Mills hung up his guitar and left the band for good. Unable to find a replacement, the band had to continue with Penick on vocals and second guitar. After two years without any new releases, the band informed fans via their MySpace page that they were busy recording a new album. Gordon, however, did not last long enough for the release; he left the group after his last live performance on May 13, 2007, to be replaced by Steve White from Turn of the Screw. The band reported that the sophomore album was in post-production as of April 2008. It is, however, well past the band's expected summer 2008 release date. Did You Know That...
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