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The Road to the Rock Star Dream

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Contributed by: Dedee Vee on 12/6/2007

The lights that illuminate the office are bright but not as bright as the ones on stage. Dan Noonan, a 33-year-old musician from Panorama City, shines through both extremes but only one will satisfy his dream.

"Playing music is the most fulfilling thing for me," he said. "The ultimate goal is to be able to play music full time."

A manager by day and a guitarist in a rock group by night, Noonan must balance two very different professional worlds. His customer service manager/network administrator job requires eight hours of his undivided attention, dealing with staff issues and yelling customers, while his nights are filled with hours of rehearsals and playing shows.

Growing up in a musical household, Noonan learned to play the piano, violin and trumpet at a young age. His true passion for music emerged at the age of 12, when he asked for a guitar for Christmas and discovered the instrument hiding in his mother's closet.

"I found the guitar 3 weeks before Christmas, it was torturous," he said. "I went and just looked at it every day and would daydream about rocking with it on stage."

Noonan, originally from Sacramento, moved to Los Angeles in 1995 to pursue his musical career and attend Cal State Long Beach. Though his parents supported him with his dream of being a professional musician, they encouraged him not to lose sight of the importance of being educated.

"I feel fortunate that I have a college degree and work in management," he said. "While pursuing my musical dream, I have a back up plan."

In 1999, after working with two other bands in Los Angeles, Noonan met with long time friend and lead singer of Depswa, Jeremy Penick who posed the question of a lifetime to him.

"Depswa had just moved to Los Angeles from Modesto," he said. "I met up with Jeremy and he asked me to be a guitarist for the band, the rest is history."

While sitting at his desk at work, the faint sound of music plays from a small radio, just loud enough for Noonan to hear. Surrounding himself with music reminds him of the accomplishments he has achieved since being with the band.

"We have toured the nation," he said. "We played Ozzfest with Ozzy Osborne,Korn, Disturbed, Marilyn Manson. We also toured with Evanescence, Chevelle and Mudvayne, it was amazing,"

Noonan explained how the band was jolted into the mainstream music scene and then brought back to reality, when leaving their record label due to lack of support.

"We were signed to Geffen Records in 2003, but it didn't work out," he said. "Coming down from that level of success, really humbles you."

David Cheppa, the owner of Better Quality Sounds, has been in the music industry since 1974 and has mastered the work of groups such as A Perfect Circle and Pennywise, explained that it is important for the artist to stay true to the art of music and also be sincere in the messages given through the music.

"If it comes from the heart, it will reach the heart of the audience," he said. "It's a fact."

Noonan explained that the desire to make music that impacts fans and listeners in positive ways is a driving force in the band and they hope to create music that is timeless.

"Fans have come to us and said they were impacted by a song we wrote, that really hits home and motivates us even more," he said. "We try to make music that will stay true to our own emotions and withstand the test of time."

Tifani Lucero, a co-worker of Noonan's describes him as night and day after seeing one of his shows.

"At work he is very quiet and reserved, all business," she said. "When he is performing, he is a different person, music is his element."

According to Noonan, living a dual life is not easy and is unbalanced most of the time, between work, rehearsals, shows, and no personal life, he believes that with determination and persistence, Depswa will be successful by making sacrifices now.

"Our mantra is music first, before anything else," he said. "We are determined to make music the rest of our lives, no matter what it takes."

Depswa will be playing a show on Dec. 10th at The Derby. For further band information, visit their web-site at http://www.myspace.com/depswa

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