The Wright Times

The Dead Superheroes Orchestra
(DSO) is not your average
band. You will not see them on
MTV or One Tree Hill but once
in a while, you will probably spot
them at a local venue or a charity
event. The name, Dead Superheroes
Orchestra, comes from a rock
opera called "Dead Superheroes."
DSO consists of Mark Winston
(guitar/vocals), Timothy Splain
(piano), Stephanie Smith (violin),
Carlos Villareal (violin), William
C. White (viola), Jack Tamburri
(cello). Four out of this six-member
orchestra met at the University
of Chicago studying music. They
plan to finish music for their rock
opera by this December. DSO's
music can be found at thedeadsuperheroes.
com or myspace.com/
deadsuperheroes.

Wright Times: How long have
you been performing together?

Mark Winston: We started
playing together in October of
2004, first as a trio (guitar and
voice, violin and cello), in 2005
we added a second violin, viola
and piano. We've had about 10
different members in the band for
the past three years, which isn't
so impressive since we have six
instruments to play, but it's pretty
impressive if you have to schedule
rehearsals for this group.

WT: Who writes the songs for
the band?

MW: I write all of the songs,
lyrics and compose parts for the
instruments. I'd been trying to put
a traditional rock group together
for most of my time in college, as I'd been in rock bands throughout
high school.

WT: Where does the inspiration
for songs come from?

MW: Initially, our songs were
inspired by severe disenchantment
and disillusionment with
the 21st century and how it is
playing out in America and Chicago.
Our songs are from a rock
opera that Jack Tamburri and I
have been writing called "Dead
Superheroes." Jack is writing the
script and I'm working on the
music. The music is dark and the
lyrics are contemplative about existence
in the 21st century and the
history and future of mankind.
Other things, especially comics
and movies, have informed the
lyrics, script and musical style.

WT: How would you describe
your sound?

MW: It's melodramatic, dark,
and whimsical at points and has
some grunge and glam elements
in it. I like to make use of the
acoustic instruments in the arrangements
and take advantage
of their dynamic ranges and timbres.
I play the guitar more like a
drum than a guitar, really laying
into the strings when I strum, so
that they crunch for a more percussive
sound.

WT: Why do you think your
sound is different from other artists?

MW: There is a big push
these days to do something retro.
For instance, the growing number
of "New Wave" and "Postpunk"
bands that are popping up
around the scene. The "scene" is less about music and more about
novelty acts re-enacting the performances
of genres from 1965 to
1988. I'm not sure why so many
people choose to retreat from this
century and immerse themselves
in years past. I think it is a really
bad and bland decision.

WT: What do you do in your
spare time?

MW: Most of us have day jobs
and participate in other music
and theater projects. Jack and Tim
are particularly active in the Chicago
theater scene as musicians,
Jack is also a director, playwright
and actor. Will is the conductor of
the University of Chicago Chamber
Orchestra and the Hyde Park
Youth Symphony. Stephanie and
Carlos are both members of the
University of Chicago Symphony
Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra.
I have played in a few pit orchestras
and been a member of
the Chicago Chorale.

WT: Where do you see the
band five years from now?

MW: I see us on Broadway. I
also think a band incarnation of
the Dead Superheroes Orchestra
will certainly be found in some
major city in this country. I imagine
there will be another rock opera,
or full blown opera, by then.
In exactly five years, I think there
will have been two or three operas
or musicals. We'll be performing
one of them, and, hopefully, several
other ensembles will be performing
them elsewhere.

WT: How do you promote
yourselves?

MW: We speak to them. It's an "In your face!" approach. Our
website was recently featured on
cssmania.com.

WT: Do you think it's difficult
sometimes to get people to come
to shows?

MW: Managing a band would
be great if all you had to do was
send out MySpace invites to draw
a crowd to the Red Line Tap on a
Sunday, but, unfortunately, people
won't show up to an underground
show unless they know you and
like you.

WT: What kind of venues do
you play at?

MW: We have played a few
fundraisers and benefits, but,
actually, we've only played three
such shows that were billed as
fundraisers; VE Global, a nonprofit
group in Santiago, Chile that
works to end inequality; a benefit
for the Infamous Commonwealth
Theater Company; and one for a
group called Heroes Helping Legends,
which helps support retired
comic book artists and writers of
the pre-retirement plan era. We've
played at the Elastic Arts Foundation
three times, so you could
count those gigs as fundraisers
because part of the door money
went to them.

WT: Do you prefer to perform
for charity events?

MW: The thought has crossed
my mind to play strictly for fundraisers
or donate all our earnings
to charity. I'd really rather do that
than play at bars. When you play
at a bar, they basically hire you to
be their street team for the month,
rather than being the entertainment
for the night. Basically the
bands are renting the club yet
promoting the club at the same
time. This is all because there are too many bands in this city that
will do anything for a gig. It's really
odd.

WT: What made you decide
to go into this genre of music?

MW: We arrived at this sound
under the influence of impulse,
booze, Dostoevsky, daydreaming
and it just felt right. I've referred
to our sound as "Gothic Chamber
Rock," but anyone who knows
anything about those three genres
will quickly inform you that is a
misnomer.

WT: What happens during
the writing process?

MW: It's quite a spontaneous
and sometimes emotional process
that drives me to tears or to
drink, and vice versa. I don't try
to force myself to make art. I believe
that inspiration graces you
with its presence at very sporadic
intervals.

WT: Describe yourself in
three words.

MW: We better not....

WT: Where can we find you
next?

MW: It may be a few months
before you can find the Dead Superheroes
Orchestra on a Chicago
stage. We're working to finish the
music for the rock opera. We've
made a pact to have this done by
December, rehearsed and ready
for performance by February.

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