ASHLAND —
Like many bands, the core of Dreamcult were friends since childhood.
Clint Adkins and Morton Counts met in grade school.
“I was born in Grayson and moved to Boyd County in second grade,” Counts, who plays bass and provides background vocals, said. That’s when he was exposed to MTV and discovered Motley Crue.
“I went to school with spiked hair and bandanas and met Clint,” Counts, 32, of Grayson, said. “He asked if I liked Motley Crew and we started talking. Then, in high school we started a little band. We were horrible.”
The musicians tried again in 2002 to form a band, but between personal issues and trends in the music market, they decided the time wasn’t right, Adkins said.
By 2006, times had changed.
“I showed up at Clinton’s house unannounced,” he said, noting they hadn’t seen one another in two years. “We played for about 30 minutes, started talking and came back in a few weeks with a couple of new songs.”
“We decided this could fly,” Adkins said.
The two met drummer Kyle Baldridge through a former drummer. “He walked in and played like a beast,” Counts said. “We knew this was it.” Lead guitar player Bill Branham of Grayson joined them next.
They play almost exclusively original tunes, with an occasional crowd-pleasing cover song. Their style is like that of the bands they grew up with and enjoy — Motley Crue, Aerosmith and Guns ’n Roses. In fact, Adkins said Guns ’n Roses and Velvet Revolver helped inspire the name Dreamcult.
“Velvet Revolver had just had a big hit and I was trying to think of something soft with a heavy word,” Adkins, 32, of Ashland, said. “Some edgy word with a soft, happy word.”
As for writing, they follow the example of their favorite bands, too. “The idea is to write the kind of songs we’d like to have at a party and to listen to and to be ourselves and be the band on stage we want to be,” Counts said.
The band and the original music has been well received, especially by the music scene in Huntington.
“With the college, there’s a built-in crowd,” Counts said. “As the band has gotten better, the crowd has gotten bigger. It’s nice to play a full house.”
Baldridge, 21, of Ironton said the first live show drew a good number of people. “Since then, it’s always been more people at every show.”
Counts agreed. “People treat us real good, singing along and hollering our names,” he said. “It’s all good.”
Dreamcult’s eight-song EP, regularly $10 and available digitally, will be on sale at tonight’s show at Shamrock’s in Huntington, for $7. More information about the band is available at reverbnation.com/dreamcult and on the band’s Facebook page.
LEE WARD can be reached at lward@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2661.
Entertainment
Related Photos
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Members of Dreamcult are, from left, Morton Counts, Clint Adkins and Kyle Baldridge. Not pictured is Bill Branham. Dreamcult will perform at 11:30 p.m. today at Shamrock’s in Huntington. Other bands on the schedule are Downtrend, 9:30; Broken Shadows, 10:30 and Trigger Soul at 12:30. Dreamcult also will perform Sept. 17 at Shamrock’s with former members of the Bullet Boys. LEE WARD / THE INDEPENDENT
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Crowds embrace Dreamcult
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Crowds embrace Dreamcult
Like many bands, the core of Dreamcult were friends since childhood.
Clint Adkins and Morton Counts met in grade school. -
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