Riding on the wings of a horse

What’s the best way to get your music into the hands of the Portland music community? Give it away for free. Portland group Pegasus Dream is playing at Rotture tonight, but you don’t have to wait until the show to hear what this group is about.

The band has released a demo that is available on their website for free, giving fans a firsthand look at the variety they offer. With a full album planned for release this July, the group has released this demo project in order to prepare fans for what they can expect.

“Our first album will have 11–13 tracks and will be dropping late July in Portland,” keyboard player and vocalist Andy Carlson said. “JT [Lindsey] is a very talented producer so we do all of the recording ourselves. The full-length will include those five demo tracks, only with tons of upgrades that people who might know the demo could find much appreciated.”

The band is made up of Carlson on synth, keys and vocals, Lindsey on guitar and lead vocals and Mikey Dane on percussion. Dane, who joined the band, has recently brought more opportunities into the studio for creativity, Carlson said.

“Each song seems to stem from a slightly different direction but begins with working out a melody, whether by yourself or jamming with people,” Carlson said. “Since we just added Mikey almost a month ago, it’s been really nice to have the drum set there in our studio. We are so close to finishing our first album and it’s a really exciting time for us.”

Pegasus Dream came to Portland about three years ago from Loon Lake, Wash. At that time, the group was made up of Lindsey and Carlson and had come out with a few demos, starting to play shows at the beginning of 2009. After playing with bands like the Helio Sequence, Starfucker (now PYRAMIDDD) and Hockey, the band decided to move to Portland. At that point they started looking for a drummer, who has completed their sound and added energy to their performances.

“Mikey was added to the mix because we love his extremely energetic style,” Carlson said. “We knew Mikey from the Spokane area when he was in other bands and had jammed with him many times before. When he decided to move down to Portland too, it was time the pull the trigger on live drums. I must say I love playing with a live drummer, it’s like night and day with the energy that it brings.”

Tonight, Pegasus Dream will play at Rotture and they are excited for a familiar yet new venue as well as an opportunity to showcase their performance style and inviting energy.

“Rotture seems to be the showcase of a lot of our favorite acts, so we’re really excited for this show,” Carlson said. “We love to get people moving and now that we have a live drummer the party can be even louder! We want the music to be dynamic and clean—a perfect performance takes a lot of practice.”

Pegasus Dream will be on tour again following the release of their summer album and will also be focused on creating a new Web site for their increasing number of followers. Tonight, Thuggage and Van Go Lion will join them at Rotture for a high energy and dynamic show.