Don’t Tell Dena is a psychedelic/alternative rock band based out of Oklahoma City, blurring the line between psyche music, rock, blues and jazz. The band was started in 2015 by lead vocalist Chris Krummrich and drummer Sean Kanaly when they met through work after graduating high school.
Don’t Tell Dena began writing their first songs and playing their first few gigs as a traditional four-piece band. In 2016, after the original guitarist and bassist left the band, a short period of writing new ideas and wondering where the band would go ensued.
Half a year later, current lead guitarist Campbell Young and bassist Triston Lightner joined the frenzy. Young had met the band at their first gig at the ACM Performance Lab. Lightner reached out to the band when he saw a flier from the band looking for new members at the Academy of Contemporary Music.
Each musician comes to the group with a unique musical background. Chris Krummrich, plays guitar, piano and drums, and sings lead vocals. He attends The Acedemy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO) and UCO majoring in strategic communications, professional media and music business. Triston Lightner plays the bass guitar and sings backup vocals. Lightner is a classically trained musician, having played the upright bass in the orchestra during junior high and high school. He also attended ACM@UCO. Campbell Young plays the lead guitar and sings backup vocals and plays keyboard. Young is a music producer and attended ACM@UCO. Drummer Sean Kanaly also plays the saxophone. He attends OCCC majoring in computer aided design.
With a new lineup and identity established, the band decided to crank out some recorded music and lots of shows. One year later, the band released their first album in February of 2018 titled Phases of the Moon. An album that reflects on the constant changes that one encounters throughout life. Phases of the Moon is available on all major music buying and sharing websites, including iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio and more.
As a result of releasing music and consistent gigging, the band has played throughout the state and has developed its own place in the local music scene. They’ve also ventured into the Texas music scene a few times throughout 2018.
“The local music scene has allowed us to meet so many cool people and discover many other great artists. I’m excited to meet more creatives who emerge from here and watch the scene grow.” Krummrich said.
The band is in the process of remodeling an old school bus into a fully-functional tour vehicle. They’ve spent the last few months repairing and adding different things. They plan to hit the road and explore nearby states like Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Arkansas and New Mexico in the coming summer as well as throughout the year.
“It’s been fun seeing this bus transform into something livable. We have put in a lot of work to make this very special and can’t wait to finally take it on the road.” Kanaly said.
The band’s newest singles “I’m over It” and “More More More” are part of their upcoming self- produced EP that is set to release in May. Don’t Tell Dena also plans to have a full-length LP released by the end of 2019.
For more information and to listen to their music, please visit Don’t Tell Dena’s listing in the Oklahoma Music Directory.