The Dark Sides officially formed in Manayunk, PA in the summer of 2006. Todd Witman (Self Proclaimed Harp Junkie) and Mark Baughman (Sometimes Guitarist) started jamming, and talking about how great the music sounded in the 60’s. The Troggs, The Kinks, Them, the Shadows of Knight, The Standells! How were there not any bands out there that have that awesome wailing harmonica overlaying that distorted, grungy Garage Rock sound?
That was all it took to get the two motivated to bring this great genre of music back to prominence.
In the spring of 2007, Ben Blakesley (Rock God) joined the group as the featured guitarist. You’ll find that he’s dancing on stage as much as he’s playing. He is exuberance personified, and has really become great at connecting with the audience during the band’s performances.
Steve Fioravanti (The Funky Beat) the newest member joined early in 2009, and since his addition the band has truly come together (It’s pretty tough to be a band without drums). He lays down the funky beats, and has proven himself time and again to be a steadfast percussionist.
After a few long years of working out the kinks, and completely gutting the rhythm section, The Dark Sides have finally turned a corner. We are ready to reintroduce the world to the truly wonderful ear waves of Garage, Blues, and Psychedelic Rock and Roll.
The band has decided to start small so they have started going to Open Mic Nights around the area. They recently had a crazy evening at a bar called Chucker Chubbs in Reading. By the time this Kick-Ass, Knock-Your-Socks-Off, Powerhouse that is known as The Dark Sides left, the bar had cancelled their Open Mic Night, and locked the doors for fear of being inundated by screaming hordes of besotted Dark Siders.
Their performances are raw and unbridled. A unique sound with hints of the past buried deeply within it’s core. If you are looking for a band that will totally blow your ears off of your head like no other band can, then you need …………