Demure:  [dih-myoo  r] adjective; characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved. 

I Am Demure is the exact opposite of what their name suggests. The severely catchy, dare one say even pop-like hooks and melodies of Denise Lorraine, meshed with powerful, edgy rock instrumentals from Torrey Ryan, Josh Chastain and DJ Rattan, I Am Demure’s sound is anything but demure. Demure’s juxtaposition of sounds contradicts what the era of female fronted rock sound-alikes has come to be.
I Am Demure released their debut EP, Everything Is Black & White, in May 2013 through combined efforts and the expertise and creativity of producer/engineer Evan Rodaniche (Cage9, Powerman 5000). IAD geared up for their debutante ball of their freshman release by eschewing frilly dresses and donning combat boots to play to a packed crowd at their live inauguration.

 CD Baby took note of IAD’s unique sound, showcasing it as one of their recent editor’s picks:

“Meshing the unique vocal style of Denise Lorraine with the crunchy guitars and powerhouse drums, this band takes female-fronted hard rock in an exciting, unapologetic new direction.”

Denise Lorraine (aka Demure) fronts I Am Demure with raw, powerful vocals, charisma and a ton of energy. “I don’t believe in standing still during concerts,” Denise muses.  “If I’m not sweating by the second song, something’s wrong.”  While LA was following trends, this Indiana native stuck to her roots and has been one of the few female rock singers in an Indie saturated scene. Though off stage she may appear exactly as her band’s namesake, onstage she is aggressive and bold yet simultaneously relatable and compassionate in both presence and lyrics. “I Am Demure is all about bringing what you see inside of yourself out to the surface. We all have inner alter-egos; that person who we always wish we could be. That’s I Am Demure. That’s what I want to encourage in others as well.  It’s all about realizing your true potential.” 

Since their debut release, I Am Demure has been gaining recognition in their LA hometown scene with their vivacious and dynamic stage shows. They successfully garnered the attention of long-time Incubus manager, Steve Rennie, which landed them as first runner-up to Rennie’s Music Mentorship Contest on his RenmanMB website community. IAD has become a regular favorite with the North Carolina based online radio station, Rockhard Distributors. The band’s sound has also crossed into international territory getting frequent airplay on the UK’s hard rock/metal online radio station, TBFM. Out of hundreds of submissions and voting, I Am Demure is currently competing in the quarter-finals of the stations own TBFM Factor Competition. At the end of 2013, IAD stepped off the stage to head back to the studio where they recorded and released two bonus songs; a dance track (Get Down) and a stripped down acoustic tune (Even When). Now they are hungrier than ever to get back on the stage and tear it up.

I Am Demure is “radio friendly – but still heavy – rock.” Join in on the fight as little lady Demure carries on in her mission to prove that rock is not dead.

Tucked away in a world class mix room at the legendary  Paramount Recording Studios in Hollywood, and Bopnique 3.0 and 4.0 in Nashua and Sherman Oaks  are the secret lairs of producer, engineer, omni-instrumentalist and holistic music creator Anthony J. Resta (a.k.a. Ajax Ray-O-Vaque) hides like a musical comic-book hero’s Beat Cave. Studio Bopnique (http://www.bopnique.com) like hipster L.A. clubs with no sign or outward evidence, is one of those places that doesn’t advertise. Seventy hour weeks are the norm in the studio’s newly expanded 3700 square foot rustic loft which houses an incredible array of instruments, particularly keyboards of which over 30 are evident. Anthony and his right arm engineer Karyadi Sutedja run a two-ring circus that is truly a wonder to behold.

While his first foray into international production  was Anthony’s five year, thirty song relationship with Duran Duran. “Simon Lebon called me after hearing a mix… some strange cowboy lady with a conch shell backing... He said ‘You’re mad lad, we want you over here!’” The relationship and experience changed Anthony’s life.

He began as a session drummer, working into programming in the late 80’s through expertise with the Linn Drum. “I hung out with Prince in London in 1999 and we talked about how cool that machine was (featured in When Doves Cry)” Anthony laughs. A photo of Anthony and Karyadi with Elton John hides in a corner near the studio’s small kitchen. These guys get around.

Anthony first developed his skill as a producer in a studio south of Boston. “Courtlen Recording gave me an opportunity to basically live under the grand piano and be in-house producer, teaming me up with great engineers like Fred Danner, Bob St. John (multiple Grammy winner), Paul Hager, Tom Soares and Chris Lannon.”

Anthony and Karyadi maintain distinct workstations in Bopnique’s cavernous sprawl, Anthony surrounded by never-ending keyboards, string simulators, drum machines and other nick-nacks all wired by midi to the mix station Karyadi nomally pilots. When not orchestrating in his realm, Anthony paces excitedly behind Karyadi mumbling and humming in a fashion that agrees with Lebon’s first
impression… mad. Equally mad is Karyadi’s ability to understand every utterance and instantly translate it to technical expression seemingly by telepathy. This Spidey-sense allows them to accomplish otherwise daunting mix feats in short time.

Resta has grown past a distinct production style. “Once I learned that it was all about the song and knowing what to leave out, it became transparent... just getting the best out of people and making the right statement for the songs.” Likewise, Anthony has no particular favorite style of music. “I used to be
into electronica but I really like recording real instruments. I like mixing the most real sounds with one or two completely unreal sounds, then making them sound like they belong together.”

This juxtaposition of purely organic and wildly synthetic is evident in Anthony’s work as an artist, recording “performance art” under the name Ajax Ray-O-Vaque with one album “Demos Of Saturn” out on Intelligent Records and a follow up due in ’08. Scattered poetry collections from authors like Bukowski alongside his photography of beloved New England fishing excursions define the vibe in
Anthony’s home base where the artists and labels now come to him.

“After I tired of 8 months a year in a hotel, I started putting my money into the place (Bopnique). Now people come from London, Miami, L.A., N.YC., Portugal, etc to record here!”

download article 
Published in Skope Magazine, by Dan Bernal
‘05 Feature – Producer Anthony J. Resta 

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