Up-and-coming indie rock powerhouse DYLYN shook the Crescent Ballroom in a sold-out show on Sept. 18. Gwendolyn Lewis, who goes by DYLYN, is the opening act for Canadian band The Rare Americans on their “You’re Not A Bad Person, It’s Just A Bad World” tour.
Her set included a few covers, including “Teenage Dirtbag” by American rock band Wheatus. She cites inspiration from TikTok for the inclusion of the track.
“I just love Teenage Dirtbag because of TikTok, it’s the cutest trend right now, so I thought it’d be fun to perform.” Fans seemed to love the cover, screaming along with the high-energy lyrics.
Additionally, the set included some of DYLYN’s original hits, such as “Hellbound,” and one of her newest singles, “Liar.”
“Liar,” co-written by Lewis and Ryan Guldemond of Mother Mother, is the third track from DYLYN’s upcoming album “The Sixty90’s.”
In an interview, Lewis shared how the new album takes inspiration from nineties music icons.
“I’m a huge nineties fan, bands like Nirvana, and the Smashing Pumpkins…” she stated, pointing out her shirt that advertised the latter band. “My album ‘The Sixty90s’ is actually based on a lot of grunge from that time.”
It should come as no surprise that Lewis’s biggest musical inspirations come from classic rock legends.
“My biggest inspirations come from Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin – I just really love him – and Debbie Harry from Blondie. Energy-wise, I draw inspiration from Patti Smith, she really is the best.”
DYLYN’s work certainly matches the energy of Smith, with lively melodies and deeply poetic lyrics.
After her performance, Lewis met with fans to sign autographs and take photos.
“DYLYN was the perfect opening act for Rare Americans,” shared Avery Berk, a fan at the concert. “Her stage presence and vocal range were amazing. She really hyped up the crowd with her songs and her cover of Teenage Dirtbag,” said Berk. “I was lucky enough to speak to her after the show, and she is such a fun and genuine person!”
The headlining band shared similar sentiments. James Priestner, the lead singer of Rare Americans stated, “DYLYN’s fantastic! She’s a really nice talented person. She just works her ass off and I’m very happy to have her on tour with us.”
With support from her bandmates, DYLYN has created an amalgamation of nineties grunge and alternative rock.
Detailing her history with the band, Lewis said, “When I met my guitarist, he introduced me to his brother, who’s now our drummer. The bassist, Max, just got added to this tour, because my producer – who was the bassist on our last tour – was busy making music.”
The group just recently found each other. During the pandemic, Lewis moved into an artist house where she met her current instrumentalists.
“We all just met randomly at the artist house, which was kind of this 1970s bungalow in Vancouver. They’re all like family to me now.”
The band’s first full length album, “The Sixty90s,” is set to be released on Oct. 28, following the conclusion of their tour with the Rare Americans.
Contact the reporter at llmay@asu.edu
