Formed in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1989, the alternative pop band the Dambuilders originally comprised vocalist/bassist Dave Derby and guitarist Eric Masunaga, both formerly of the Exactones. Shortly after forming, the duo recorded a demo, dubbed A Young Person's Guide, which mysteriously made its way to Europe, where it landed at the offices of the Berlin-based label Cuacha; with only minor remixing, the label soon released the tapes as an LP, and the band subsequently toured Germany. Upon returning to the U.S., the Dambuilders relocated to Boston, issuing the single "Pop Song Equals Food" in 1991; later that year, they also released their sophomore album, Geek Lust. The band's ranks soon swelled to include violinist/vocalist Joan Wassar and drummer Kevin March, and with the new lineup firmly in place they cut a handful of singles, another LP for Cuacha (1992's Islington Porn Tapes) and an EP for the SpinArt label, 1993's Tough Guy Problem. After signing with the major label EastWest, the Dambuilders resurfaced in 1994 with the album Encendedor, followed a year later by Ruby Red. The 1996 collection God Dambuilders Bless America assembled 15 tracks -- single sides, LP cuts and the like -- from their ongoing '50 Songs for 50 States' project; the all-new Against the Stars appeared the next summer. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
The Dambuilders was a band in the early 1990s Boston rock scene. The founding members - Dave Derby, Tryan George and Eric Masunaga - hail from Hawaii and had played in a number of bands (such as the Exactones) before moving to Boston in 1990. The band began as the Dambuilders in Hawaii in a three-piece and four-piece configuration. Early violin was provided by Debbie Fox. Subsequent to Debbie Fox's involvement, nearly all of their songs would feature electric violin tracks. Around 1992, the "classic lineup" consisted of Derby (bass and lead vocals); Masunaga (guitar); Kevin March (drums); and Joan Wasser (violin). Many of the bands early recordings were engineered by band-guitarist Eric Masunaga. Eric's studio, The White Room, was also an early home for engineer Darron Burke who worked alongside Eric.
Their first single was "Pop Song = Food". Other albums include Geek Lust, Islington Porn Tapes, God Dambuilders Bless America, A Young Person's Guide..., Encendedor, Ruby Red and Against The Stars.
Commercial Success
While The Dambuilders are generally considered an "indie" band, they have received some commercial airplay with their single "Shrine" from 1994's "Encendedor". This album was released on Atlantic Records. Although the song has no viable chorus, The Dambuilders manage to create an appealing and memorable single using a distinctly melodic verse and an innovative instrumental section used as an intro, outro, and bridge. In this section, the bass guitar plays a melodic riff using two bass strings simultaneously, as opposed to the more conventional method in which the bass player plays one string at a time. The song tells of a cross-cultural romantic courtship between the singer and a girl who "doesn't speak much English" but is familiar with the American music scene. In the song, the singer is willing to conform to traditional religious practices outside his own cultural sphere ("...if I stay with her I'll lose track of all time, so I light a candle to the shrine..."), but seemingly manages to stay true to his roots by redefining the acts as an aspect of his own a-religious, culturally inclusive belief system ("...and call it Rock n' Roll").
Their 1997 album Against the Stars was released on Elektra.
Current activities
Currently Dave Derby is performing as a member of Gramercy Arms as well as a solo artist, based in NYC. After two releases under the "Brilliantine" name, he released Even Further Behind in 2003 and released his second solo record Dave Derby and the Norfolk Downs in February 2007. Wasser is now performing under the name "Joan As Police Woman" and released her solo debut E.P. Joan As Policewoman in June 2005. She has gone on to release a full length album with the band, entitled Real Life in June 2006. March was also a member of Guided by Voices for several years and continues to do seesion work and tours with various artists. He is currently putting together a new group with his old friend, Nathan Larson of Shudder To Think. Masunaga now runs Modulus Studios, a mastering and DVD authoring studio, in Boston. Darron owns Makeshift Studio in Boston, is a contributing writer for Tape Op Magazine and works as an audio preservation engineer for Harvard College Library. Darron records, produces and masters records. He drums for the band Blanketeer and works for Crowley and Tripp Microphones.
