Biography
This former Los Angeles area band, known as XL & D.B.D., is a straight to the point, no holds barred, live Christian music experience. Their 1993 release "Sodom and America" on Word/Epic Records typifies their "sounds like Rage Against the Machine meets Living Color" musical reputation, and helped open the door for the musical style that is frequently now called "rapcore'. The band's members have performed nationwide and have enjoyed "top 10" chart success in hard markets like Detroit, New York and Texas.
Music Style
Rapcore's pioneers venture into many genres
Similar Artists
The Crucified, Deliverance, Kings X, Living Color, Payable On Death, Rage Against the Machine
Artist History
XL and Death Before Dishonor were rapcore pioneers. They have evolved to a point where they now perform a variety of music styles. The band has transplanted to the Midwest to escape the madness and the lifestyles they once lived. They continue to mix the rap, rhythm and soul of their heritage with the hard-hitting lessons of their life experiences. Theirs is a message that is positive and insightful, full of the type of grit that only comes from those who have been there and lived to tell about it. A performance from these survivors portrays the blunt emotion of men from the street writing music for people who are still living on the street and trying to get over. They also form the core of "Living Vessel" - a contemporary worship and praise band.
Group Members
Todd 'XL' Stevens: Lead Guitars/Songwriter. Well known in southern California recording studios, XL has toured with acts as diverse as LA Guns, KRS-I, Boogie Down Productions, and DC Talk. His studio time includes tracking with Oz Fox of Stryper, Bryan J of Keel, B.B. Dickerson of War, Adam Again, Gospel Gangstas, Jimmy Brown of Deliverance, Mark Salomon of the Crucified/Stavesacre, and Greg Minier of the Crucified. He's performed live with Soldiers For Christ (SFC), the Dynamic Twins, the Crucified, Applehead, Mortal and Peace 586, just to name a few. This flexibility in styles fuels the D.B.D. sound as XL serves as the band's primary songwriter. Eric Stevens: Bass guitar. A blues/jazz natural, Eric anchor's the bands sound by infusing the music with hooks and punches beyond those typically used in rock genres. He has toured with XL & D.B.D., Vaya Con, and the praise band Psalt. He has performance experiences that include venues such as Cornerstone Festival in Illinois and New Earth (formerly The Coffee House) in Kansas City. His socially aware lyrics serve to pinpoint the ills of a society bent on oppression. Listen closely, and Eric will give you a reality check - or several of them all at once. Tony Stevens: Drums/Percussion. A percussion educator and performer steeped in percussion traditions ranging from the Nigerian Udu to the Celtic Bodhran, Tony brings the hard drive to the modern drum kit for XL & D.B.D. His stage experiences include opening spots for War, Mike Stand of the Altar Boys, and the Violet Burning, his African drumming for Karen Donaldson and the Kuumba Dancers, solo accompaniments for African story teller Eshu Bompus, and percussion work with Deb Marquart and the Bone People, only to name a few. He has lectured and performed at colleges and universities for a number of years.
Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Feel free to contribute!
All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
