De Novo Dahl

De Novo Dahl originated in the songwriting partnership between high school friends Mark Bond (aka Vovo Dahl) and Joel McAnulty (aka Joel J. Dahl or Jsperanza) in Hendersonville, TN. Bond handled vocals and keyboards while McAnulty covered vocals and guitar; together they launched an earlier group called Harmonium that dissolved just short of securing a recording contract. Following separate solo projects, the pair reconvened in summer 2001 to resume collaborative writing. They were soon joined by vocalist and omnichord player Serai Zaffiro—daughter of guitarist David Zaffiro from the Christian metal band Bloodgood and, shortly after her arrival, McAnulty’s wife—along with bassist Jon Schneck (subsequently replaced by David Carney), drummer Joey Andrews, and lead guitarist Sandy Sandidge. The expanded lineup officially coalesced as De Novo Dahl in Murfreesboro, TN, during November 2001. The name combines the Latin phrase “de novo,” meaning “anew,” with Dahl, drawn from children’s author Roald Dahl of James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The ensemble cultivated a local audience in Murfreesboro and nearby Nashville through theatrical stage wear and inventive live presentations, among them an ice-cream social, a Tron-themed evening, a “beach party” offering free entry to anyone in swimwear, and a “spaghetti western” show in which members appeared as cowboys while serving pasta. From these regional bases they expanded into adjacent states and periodically reached larger cities. In May 2003 the band issued its first recording, a six-song EP self-released and produced by David Zaffiro and Jason Lehning, sold at performances and through the group’s website. Two years of work yielded the debut album Cats & Kittens, initially self-released and later reissued by Theory 8 Records in May 2005 as a package pairing the primary disc with a bonus remix disc. The EP Shout followed in 2007, and Roadrunner Records released Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound in 2008.