New band Deadhand re-energizes local rocker

Sitting amid stacks of vintage amps and guitars polished to such a sheen that you can practically see your reflection in them, Brendan Scholz is explaining how dreams can become nightmares.

He speaks from experience.

Scholz used to front Vegas rockers Lydia Vance, who not too long ago were poised to become the latest band from town to score a major label record deal.

"We did everything but sign with Atlantic," Scholz says during a recent Tuesday afternoon from the showroom at Cowtown Guitars, where he works. "They had me working with songwriters and everything. But at the end of the day, our A&R rep left, and that was that."

Lydia Vance had gotten as far as tracking an album with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskett, who also has worked with Vegas' Escape the Fate and Taking Dawn, as well as platinum acts such as Chevelle, Incubus and Limp Bizkit, among others.

But the experience left much to be desired for Scholz, who all of a sudden started getting all kinds of input into his output that was about as welcome as some unwanted houseguest.

"I got to the point where I was sitting down to write and I wasn't sure if I was writing something I wanted to write or if it was predetermined, because you get so much thrown down your throat," says Scholz, clad in black head to toe.

And so Scholz and Lydia Vance bandmates Jarred Cooper (bass) and Aaron Weislogel (drums) decided to start fresh with a new project, Deadhand, who recently released their debut record. It's a promising start for the band, with Scholz in full-on guitar hero mode, shooting sparks all over the trio's equally hooky and hard driving rock 'n' roll, which maintains Lydia Vance's heart-palpitating adrenaline bursts.

It's a forceful, defiant sounding disc.

"Previously, with everybody involved, I've been told what to write, what people want me to do, et cetera," Scholz says. "With this, I just wrote whatever the hell I wanted to write."

Deadhand is unsigned, but they have some momentum behind them already. They're managed by the Artery Foundation, whose loaded roster includes such notables as Whitechapel, Dredg and Asking Alexandria.

Though he tends to speak softly, Scholz clearly seems re-energized.

Lydia Vance may be dead, but it's given Scholz new life.

"We want to keep it going," he says. "I can't imagine really playing with anybody else, the way that we click. It just works really well. We'll see where it goes this time."

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.