The Desert Pulse artist spotlight on Dimes.

Name: Dimes

Genre: Garage Rock/Red Rock Blues

Founded: 2015

Hometown: St. George, Utah

Members: Vagabond Black: Lead Vocals; Chase McClung: Guitar; Alek Wiltbank: Drums

Influences: Them Crooked Vultures, Queens of the Stone Age, Gov’t Mule, The Arcs, Free, Black Sabbath

Dimes is a garage rock/red rock blues band from St. George, Utah. The gritty, blistering guitar solos of Chase McClung, the raw, crushing drumming of Alek Wiltbank, and the dirty croons of Vagabond Black, align to create a sound never heard before. Dimes combines headbanging riffs, poetic lyrics, and grooving beats to force your inner rockstar out.

Following a decision of their previous band, BrickWalker, to go on hiatus, Dimes was formed by Vagabond Black and Chase McClung in December of 2015. Influenced by the rawness of The Black Keys and the unsettling nature of Queens of the Stone Age; Dimes aims to create music in the same vein as Them Crooked Vultures and Gov’t Mule.

Vagabond Black takes on lead singing responsibilities; howling above the gritty tones of the other members and guiding the audience on a journey they will never forget. Vagabond Black started his music career as the bassist of Ex Era, eventually shifting to guitar. His next project was BrickWalker, a blues rock/funk group which presented his first experience as a lead singer. Since then, Vagabond has begun performing as a solo artist, and has started a management and booking label, Vagabond Black, Entertainment Connoisseur.

Chase McClung, the guitarist, plays with an electrifying sound, paying homage to such guitar gods as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Josh Homme, and Angus Young. Chase began his excursion into the musical world in 8th grade, when he had an injury playing football. After spending the next 2 years sitting in his room playing guitar all day, he became one of the most proficient guitarists in the Southern Utah area. In 2014 he joined on as one of the guitarists in BrickWalker, and in 2015 he formed Dimes with Vagabond Black.

Alek Wiltbank plays drums for Dimes; packing the songs with powerful snare cracks, groovy beats and instantaneous silences. Alek first started playing music as the bassist in My Monster while in high school. He then formed Ex Era, performing as the lead guitarist and vocalist. After Ex Era, he became BrickWalker’s manager, and now plays drums for both Dimes and Sleep Dealer.

Dimes is a band not only to be heard–but, a must to be experienced. The raw emotion swings from low to high and every step as you feel yourself being consumed with the thumping energy at every level. Dimes does not just play music for the audience, they take fans on a roller-coaster ride filled with intensity.