Area rockers start 'Secret Wars'
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

Wes "Danger" Dalton falls a lot, and he has the scars to prove it.

Lead guitarist for the Simi underground rock/punk band Secret Wars, Dalton, 28, is recognized as much for his musical talents as he is for the bodily damage he endures during one of the band's highintensity shows- performances that band members like to characterize as "controlled chaos."

Interestingly enough, out of the five members of Secret Wars, Dalton seems to be the most softspoken. Spencer Carney, 28, is the engaging and friendly front man. Ryan Adams, 27, plays drums and is the band's biggest fan. Matt Henderson, 35, is the big-brother bassist and 32-year-old Lee McNamara the influential new guitarist.

They all really like cigarettes . . . and Fugazi, the Washington, D.C.-based punk rockers known for high-energy shows and their anti-establishment style.

Except for McNamara, the guys in Secret Wars are all Simi Valleyraised. And although McNamara joined the group less than a month ago, he's already learned most of the songs and played three shows with them.

"I haven't written anything yet," McNamara said. "But I've contributed in spirit and sound."

Most recently, McNamara's received credit from the rest of the band for helping them win first place at the Simi Valley Days Battle of the Bands.

Secret Wars was the sixth out of seven bands to perform at the annual carnival's battle two weeks ago, which was judged by Bruce Witkin, co-chair of the event and owner of Simi's local punk and rock apparel store, Infusion.

Besides coming home with a little extra cash that night, the band said the best prize was winning "bragging rights" among their friends.

"It was cool," Carney said. "Anytime we play live, it's a good time. Large Lump Sum and Bear (two other bands that competed that night) are good friends of ours, so there was a competitive spirit."

Going into the competition, McNamara said, most of the band members expected to get last place.

They came primarily to have fun and to take advantage of another opportunity to play a live show, but "winning was the cherry on top," he said.

The Secret Wars sound is something of a fusion of genres, which the band had a hard time describing in words.

"It's hard rock with a lot of punk influence," Henderson said after a lot of thought.

"It's not punk. It's not rock. It's war," Dalton said with a slight smirk.

It's also the band's motto, for taking their musical influences from so many different styles and musicians. The band admits to liking everything from Slayer to Neil Diamond.

"Sometimes it goes over people's heads," Carney said of the group's music. "We like to push ourselves creatively. As long as we're happy with (the music), that's all that matters."

Perhaps the most consistent thing about Secret Wars' music- aside from how loud it gets- is the energy. To call their songs upbeat would be a serious understatement.

Carney tends to interact with his microphone as if it were a real person. During exceptionally powerful lyrics, he strives to make eye contact with members of the audience- almost to the point of awkwardness but just enough to involve them with the song.

Henderson, McNamara and Dalton all play their instruments with such perfect synchronicity that even a hurricane couldn't break them apart.

And if Adams didn't have to sit behind his drums during shows, he'd likely be running around the stage trying to get everyone to jump up and dance.

"You'll never be bored at a Secret Wars show," Adams said. "We're never going to be that band that's trying to be cool and hip. But we're trying to go for a sound that's timeless."

To band members, timeless means something beyond mainstream popularity. They know how the music industry is changing, and as long as they can continue to write songs and play music, they've succeeded, Adams said.

In the meantime, the quintet plans to practice and play as many shows as their day jobs will allow. Carney is part-time student studying graphic design. Dalton is a guitar teacher. McNamara works at a machine shop, and Adams calls himself a "self-made musician."

"I worked for corporate America a long time," Adams said. "It drains your life force. I'm currently taking a vacation from corporate America- it gives me more time to play music."

As for Henderson, his day job consists of hair dryers and shears. When he said he was an assistant hairstylist, everybody in the room laughed. He said he wouldn't mind being the band's official stylist as long as Dalton would let him cut his hair.

The next step for Secret Wars is to record a debut album, already titled "It Costs a Lot to Look This Cheap." They want to focus on writing new songs and playing them at shows to gauge people's reactions. They hope to release the album by early 2008.

"We all contribute musically," Carney said. "If someone comes up with a good idea, we try to expand on that. When we write, it's about first and foremost that everyone's happy."