Why Alice in Chains?

The question that has been asked many times and will continue to be asked.  The advent of Dallas in Chains was somewhat accidental but soon became very intentional and was given a sense of purpose.

One Spring day in 2005, Russ, Sean, and Tony were playing around musically.  Tony, having been a fan of AiC for years, thought it would be fun to do Junkhead.  Something he always wanted to do but was never able to.  Getting into it, though rough, it felt good to Russ and Sean also. 

Without going into too much detail, let's just say that Tony really related to the lyrical content of the music.  It was very close to home, something that he could easily "feel" and emote with each word. 

It worked and it worked well.  After that came the thought of doing 10 or 12 songs and joining the tribute scene.  After one show at The Bone in Deep Ellum then straight to FireWater, it was apparent that there is an audience for AiC so it should be continued and beefed up.

Sean, on a chance, contacted Nancy McCallum (Layne Staley's mother) and let her know what we were up to and how her son's music and lyrics has affected us.  She sent back some very nice notes, photos, and information about the Layne Staley Fund.  With that came a sense of purpose to what we were doing.  To talk about and make people aware of the organization to help heroin-addicted people in the music community get off of heroin.  In Nancy's words, "seeking to turn the tragedy of Layne's death into hope for those that suffer." Dallas in Chains will mention and make information available on Layne Staley Fund for as long as it exists.

This music has been a challenge to every player involved.  It's not been "easy" for anyone from singer to drummer (front to back).  All players have very complicated parts to learn and all players have stepped up to the plate.  Through much hard work, it has become what it is today (40+ songs).

On the visual aspect of the show, the players already had a "visual" background and were looking to bring that aspect to this music.  There was no point in trying to look like AiC.  It just was not possible.  That being out of the way, there was a clean slate to draw upon as to what a Dallas in Chains show should look like. 

It has evolved over the years it has existed and is the visual piece that you can see at any DiC show.  Entertain your ears and your eyes and catch the next show!