Veterans
PostWar
In an instrument-filled living room off of Plumb Lane, three musicians have found a safe haven to democratically rock hard. When Suta Bogale and Preston Duhon left their last band, Walk of Shame, in 2012 they still wanted to create music together but with more creative freedom.
“I basically kept hollerin’ into Suta’s ear about how we should keep playing together, and we hoped that Asa [Dakin] would be our bassist,” says Duhon. “He was our number one draft pick.”
After Reno worked its biggest little city magic, a few mutual friends connected them to Asa, formerly of avant metal core band Cranium, among other groups, and the trio began to rock.
“We vibed instantly,” says Duhon. “That was really important to us, to have a band that we could have fun with. We wanted a safe place to do whatever we wanted creatively.”
Although they won’t admit it, PostWar is more than just your fancy free indie rock garage band. Each bandmate brings a lifetime of musical experience to the group making their sound refreshingly polished. PostWar has been described as indie-rock with post-punk tendencies, but nowadays, what does that even mean? They produce an aggressive loudness that pays homage to the crew’s collective time spent in metal, hardcore and rock bands. Their sound is one you can trust to build you up before it crashes down.
Bogale, Duhon and Dakin have been playing in bands in Reno for over 10 years, and their catalog of past bands is historic. They come from the likes of Cranium, Keyser Soze, Knowledge Lives Forever, Walk of Shame and many more. Now, after so many bands, some dysfunctional, some structured, some playful and some serious, they have come together at a sweet spot in their musical careers.
“My goal now is to create the best art possible with the people I play with,” says Bogale.
This ethic of both fun and creativity translates into PostWar’s music. Their chemistry is charismatic. Through easy smiles and concentrated faces, you can tell they are proud of the art they create. In his past bands, Bogale identified as a bassist, but in PostWar he sings, plays guitar and keyboards, while Duhon thrashes hard on the drums.
“I had a few bass lines in my head when we started, but when we got together with Asa, something entirely different and rad came out,” says Bogale.
With his beautiful handmade wooden bass and impressive musicianship, Dakin balances the trio with a legitimate sense of harmony and groove.
They are currently working on their set list of about six to 10 songs, and while their creative process is a little slow, they are fine with that method.
“When you’re working in a democratic band society like this one, we all take a little more time to work on a song because we’re working together,” says Dakin. “It’s more fun and organic this way. We actually listen to each other.” For this group, it isn’t about pounding out song after song.
“We are all at a point in our lives where we don’t necessarily want to be rock stars,” says Duhon. “I mean, a one-hit wonder to live off of for the rest of our lives would be pretty nice.”
“But we are really just in it to rock,” says Dakin. “If winning comes to us by playing what we love, then that’s awesome, but we’re mostly just in it for the fun.”
They might claim that rock stardom isn’t the goal, but with a sound that is as accessible as it is raw, PostWar deserves fame and glory.