The Dream Syndicate

Formed in Los Angeles in 1981, the Dream Syndicate was founded by current members Steve Wynn (guitar, vocals) and Dennis Duck (drums), along with Karl Precoda (guitar) and Kendra Smith (bass). With its widely celebrated 1982 debut The Days of Wine and Roses, the band soon emerged at the forefront of the 1980s college-rock scene. Following the release of three more albums (1984’s Medicine Show, 1986’s Out of the Grey, and 1988’s Ghost Stories), the Dream Syndicate split up indefinitely—then reunited for a Spanish music festival in 2012. With its lineup now including guitarist Jason Victor, the band has since played over 50 shows and toured throughout the U.S. and Europe. In 2016, they headed into the studio and began working on their first album in nearly 30 years. “[The magic] was there with almost as much ease and grace as the first rehearsal we had three years before in Madrid, despite [longtime bassist] Mark Walton, Dennis Duck and I having not played together for several decades,” says Wynn of the making of How Did I Find Myself Here? “It sounds like everything that I loved about the Dream Syndicate and yet sounds unlike any other record we made.” Over the years, the Dream Syndicate has proven to be a massively influential force in the world of alternative rock, with artists like Kurt Cobain listing the band among their inspirations. As Wynn points out, the band itself was greatly influenced by underground pioneers like the Fall, the Gun Club, Neu!, and Big Star.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Artist