Dreadnaught USA

Dreadnaught is a New Hampshire, United States of America (United States)-based experimental rock group that has released 6 full-length albums since its formation in 1996. The band's sound is distinguished by acrobatic, intricate compositional and instrumental interplay coupled with a down-to-earth, wry approach to performance. Dreadnaught has been noted by critics in the U.S. and Europe for its eclectic, adventurous output in both studio and live settings.

Formed in 1996 at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, Dreadnaught regularly toured the Northeast United States through the recording of its first two albums, Dreadnaught (1998) and Una Vez Mas (2000). Both releases featured vocal-oriented roots-rock interspersed with progressive, art rock, and jazz elements; during this period, the band's live shows were marked by aggressive, energetic instrumental improvisation and increasingly sophisticated musical structures.

By the recording of 2001's The American Standard (Red Fez Records), the band (now a trio consisting of bassist Bob Lord, guitarist Justin Walton, and drummer Rick Habib) was touring nationally and had become more radical in composition and performance; The American Standard presented classical and jazz influenced multi-movement suites, quirky pop songs, and avant-garde metal instrumentals with augmented orchestration, including strings, brass, and winds. Critical response to the album was widespread and enthusiastic, exposing European, Eurasian, and South American audiences to the band for the first time and landing the group on numerous 'best of' listings.

After three years of steady touring and performance in support of The American Standard, Dreadnaught released the highly experimental Musica En Flagrante (Big Balloon Music/Red Fez) in 2004. Reflecting Lord's ongoing active work in film scoring and custom audio, Flagrante was an entirely instrumental set of pieces featuring widely expanded instrumentation and recording techniques in addition to the debut of drummer Tim Haney (previously and subsequently a member of SeepeopleS).

The double-disc album Live At Mojo arrived in 2005 from the Italian label Comet Records and received a 4-star review from Allmusic upon release; the album was recorded live in the studio in late 2003 at the end of a national tour by Lord, Walton, and Haney, and features cuts not heard on any other Dreadnaught recordings, including cover tunes by Warren Zevon, Dick Curless, Frank Zappa, and John Entwistle. In 2005, Habib returned to the fold, and Lord released his first solo set, Audio For Film TV & Games (Red Fez), a collection of cuts culled from the bassist's visual media projects.

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