Dead Child Bio

Dead Child is a heavy metal band from Louisville, KY. The members that make up Dead Child are not strangers to one another. Rather, they are five old friends whose lives have musically intersected each other's for years. Their bios read like an indie rock family tree.

Guitarist David Pajo (Slint, Zwan, Stereolab, Tortoise, Early Man, Will Oldham, Aerial M, Papa M, Pajo) and drummer Tony Bailey (Anomoanon, Lords) worked together on Pajo's solo projects Aerial M and Papa M. Bailey was in the band Crain with bassist Todd Cook (Shipping News) and the band Brothers of Conquest with vocalist Dahm. Cook had also been involved with Pajo's Papa M, as well as Matador/Touch and Go band The For Carnation with guitarist Michael McMahan. McMahan and Dahm were both members of Louisville band Starkiller, and in addition to Dead Child, both McMahan and Dahm currently play in the band Phantom Family Halo.

In the spring of 2005, the seminal post-rock band Slint reformed for one incredibly anticipated reunion tour. The tour featured original members Brian McMahan, Britt Walford and David Pajo, but also included Todd Cook on bass and Brian's younger brother Michael McMahan on guitar. During the course of the tour, Pajo, Cook and McMahan (Michael, that is) realized that they wanted to continue playing music together, albeit a decidedly more aggressive style of music. They conceived an idea for a band that reflected the music that influenced them: early Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest.

Dead Child was born.

Soon enough, Tony Bailey and Dahm were added to the mix and the band wrote the driving, old school metal anthem "Never Bet the Devil Your Head" which they performed and filmed for the DVD series Burn to Shine, produced by Fugazi's Brendan Canty.

Dead Child has since recorded an EP at Chris Owen's (Lords) studio in Louisville, which will be available late summer/early fall 2006. Until then, they are writing, rehearsing and eagerly preparing for a handful of regional shows in August and a Midwest/east coast tour in November.