Beyond Control � no � Impur � nope � it's Dry Cell- the new band on the street that is on the verge of assaulting every radio station in the country with it's credible, forceful, first single, "Body Crumbles." The band has had to withstand a few name and management changes and is ready to go unfalteringly head to head with bands like Linkin Park and Incubus while distinguishing their own style of music.

After a few disconnections and a few phone calls back and forth, we finally had the chance to speak with bassist Judd Gruenbaum while he was traveling (and passing the exit) to band rehearsal in Malibu, California to discuss the upcoming album, Disconnected and summer tour, Locobazooka.

Noize Pollution: Let's just start at the beginning- how the band formed and is it true Danny and Brandon met at a Ratt show?
Judd Gruenbaum: Basically, Danny and Brandon's dad knew Bobby Blotzer from Ratt. They both happened to take their kids to the Ratt concert and they met backstage- became friends and decided to start playing music together. They played in Danny's garage- probably for a month or two. One night they decided to make a serious band - get another guy to play bass, so they sent out flyers and my guitar teacher found one and I auditioned for the band and made it!
NP: How long ago was that?
Judd: I auditioned on April 1, 1998 and I started rehearsing with them the next week.

NP: Just curious, how did their father's know Bobby Blotzer?
Judd: They both went to high school with him, I think. Their dad's didn't know each other- they just both knew Bobby from Ratt.

NP: Since all of you are from California except Jeff who is from Detroit, I heard something about one of the guys from Beautiful Creatures helped set up the meeting that brought Jeff out to California - or am I way off the mark?
Judd: No, that's what happened. Jeff was playing at a club in Detroit and it was the nite after Beautiful Creatures opened for KISS. They were at the club and they knew that Jeff Blue and the band were looking for another singer. They heard Jeff and thought he was really good. So, they (Beautiful Creatures) called Jeff Blue about him and we flew him out here� he sang for us � we hired him and he has been our singer ever since.

NP: So, when you first met everyone they were jamming in the pool shed behind Danny's house?
Judd: Yeah.
NP: That's cool his parents were so supportive to let him do that!
Judd: All of our parents have been really supportive.

NP: I know the band is going to get asked a lot of questions regarding age but how old is everyone now?
Judd: Danny is 15. Brandon is 16. Jeff is 26. I am 17.
NP: Usually when younger bands get together, everyone assumes that the band are high school buddies or that kind of thing but that is NOT the case for you guys?
Judd: Not at all, actually. I have lived in LA my whole life and Danny and Brandon are from South Bay.

NP: Is it odd to have a front man who has an eight to ten year age gap on everyone else in the band? How do you all get along? What is the common bond between all of you?
Judd: The age difference- it seems like a lot but it really isn't. We all think alike and we all listen to the same music. We're all pretty mature.

NP: The band went through a lot of name changes before sticking to Dry Cell. First it was Beyond Control then you added Jeff and changed the name to Impur. Why all the changes?
Judd: We came up with the name Beyond Control when we were twelve years old and we didn't like it- so then we changed it to Impur and there were like� five other bands with the name and all said they owned the name Impur. So, rather than trying to buy the name off of everyone we just decided to get a new one.
NP: How did you come up with Dry Cell?
Judd: We read it in a slang dictionary when we were recording the album.
NP: What does it mean?
Judd: When a prisoner in jail is suspected of having narcotics or contraband they do what's called, "putting you on a dry cell." They put you in a room with just four walls and wait to see if you have the drugs somewhere in your body.
NP: Interesting!
Judd: Yeah, we liked the way it sounded.

NP: Don't take this the wrong way but you guys got your break at a very early age. The majority of bands out there today spend years after years trying to get noticed. What would you say helped speed up that process?
Judd: We just worked our asses off seven days a week at least four hours a day. It still took us two years to get signed- I know that's not really that long but it's a lot of work and a lot of shows.

NP: What was the problem finding and or sticking with management?
Judd: No one understood that we're a two singer band. We needed a manger that would listen to us and not try to take over the whole situation and we found that with Gloria.
NP: Yeah, we were originally slated to do this interview back in March but it was pushed back �
Judd: Yeah, there was some weird stuff but now we have Gloria and everything is great!

NP: You guys have all kinds of exciting things happening in your camp to keep listeners eager. Let's talk about about a few of those now. First off, most people got their first exposure to you on the "Queen of the Damned" soundtrack. You must have been real excited about that!
Judd: That was so awesome when we found out we were going to be on the "Queen of the Damned" soundtrack! The movie isn't that great but the soundtrack is awesome! Kinda weird being on the same soundtrack as Jonathan Davis and Wayne Static. It's crazy!

NP: You're also involved with the Nascar Crank it Up compilation by covering Stone Temple Pilots "Heaven and Hot Rods." How did that come about? Will you add that to your play list while touring?
Judd: I'm not sure how that came about. I got a call one day saying, "You have to pick a cover song about a car." I thought cool- we'll do "Highway to Hell" or something then they said, "No crash and burn songs." So, we picked out "Heaven and Hot Rods" which absolutely has nothing to do with cars at all!
NP: Are you a fan of STP?
Judd: We love STP!!

NP: Lastly, the band has been involved with a lot of video games by having your music appear on these games. You first did "Freekstyle" and now you're going to appear on one of my favorite games of all time, "Madden NFL 2003!"
Judd: Awesome!
NP: How did that come about?
Judd: I dunno. We got a call and ended up doing "Freekstyle" and then the "Madden NFL 2003." It just kinda happened! Whoops! We just drove by the freeway we needed to get on!
NP: Where are you heading?
Judd: We're going to Malibu- we have rehearsal.

NP: Are you big video game fans?
Judd: Yeah! Huge! Big thing when we were recording the album�and they were recording guitars and I had nothing to do- we got out the Playstation 2!
NP: What games do you guys play a lot?
Judd: Grand Theft Auto- is awesome! Knockout Kings is the bomb!

NP: Let's talk about the much-anticipated album, Disconnected- out in stores late June?
Judd: July 16th!!
NP: We've taken a listen to the album all the way through a few times and we did notice similarities in your style and sound that puts you right up there with Linkin Park. What do you think makes yourselves different from them?
Judd: Our music is real. The only story I heard between Linkin Park and us is the sound and the vocal. I don't think we sound like Linkin Park at all, honestly.
NP: Do the comparisons drive you crazy?
Judd: Well, everyone gets compared to everyone else. We didn't try to be Linkin Park- we didn't even know who they were.

NP: Certainly, "Body Crumbles" is an instant hit! The bass lines are catchy- it's a well-put together song. Is that going to be the first single?
Judd: Yeah, that is definitely the first single!
NP: Do you know what that song is about?
Judd: What do you mean?
NP: What are the lyrics about? What the song means?
Judd: We really don't talk about actual events � it's really more what it means to the fans.

NP: What is your favorite song on the album?
Judd: I have two, is that all right?
NP: Absolutely!
Judd: I would say "Sorry" and "Disconnected."

NP: We read that you bring the heavier influence to Dry Cell- what bands are you influenced by?
Judd: Like millions! Metallica, Slipknot, Slayer, Alice in Chains, STP, Soundgarden, etc.

NP: So, what's next for you guys? I hear you're headed for the Locobazooka tour?
Judd: Yeah, that should be starting in three weeks.
NP: What about after that? You have some fall touring in the works?
Judd: We're still looking at tours after Locobazooka- nothing confirmed.

NP: If you guys could pick a band to go out with who would you like to open for?
Judd: Umm� Incubus. That would be great!

NP: Well, thanks so much for chatting with us! Is there anything you would like to say to your fans and soon to be fans?
Judd: I always get this one and I never know what to say. I dunno � I'll have to think on that one!

Interview by: T-Bone & Suzy