Better known by his moniker D at Sea, Doyle Perez became a YouTube sensation after his acoustic cover of Parkway Drive’s “Carrion” went viral in late 2011. Since the Parkway Drive video D at Sea has released a host of other reworked renditions of songs from the hardcore genre including tracks by The Amity Affliction, Bring Me the Horizon and Of Mice and Men among others, garnishing more than 3.5million views on his YouTube channel and attracting almost 28,000 facebook likes.
Despite his growing fan base and notoriety, music wasn't always front and center for Doyle, who had not initially considered it a career option. Before an injury at the age of 19 his relationship with music was that of a fan, simply enjoying listening to other bands and, like most kids of the 90s, taping his favorite songs from the radio onto cassette tapes that would be played back later and copied onto mixed tapes to share with friends.
However injury forced him to reassess his priorities. Playing and writing music became a way to cope with rehab and changes to his everyday activity, as well as providing an outlet for his creativity.
For someone who took to music much later than most his acoustic renditions of songs from the hardcore illustrate his natural ability and keen ear for music. The self taught musician only discovered he was able to sing acoustically after meeting his girlfriend and fellow musician Millie Tizzard, who encouraged him to branch out from the more metal-focused music he was playing in bands Confession, Lemon Smashle and All My Friends at Sea.
700,000 + plays later “Carrion” is still getting attention on D at Sea’s YouTube channel among his more recent uploads. When asked why he chose that particular song Doyle says “Carrion chords were the first to spark the idea for me. I can't scream so I'd just sing along instead. I wanted to portray the songs in a different light. Just because it’s heavy music, doesn't mean it’s angry music… I love Parkway. I needed to find the down-time equivalent to heavy music. Acoustic Hardcore! Perfect. I was very surprised by how accepting people were of the idea”.
Beyond the covers, Perez has managed to tour consistently around Australia, selling out shows in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne, all the while continuing in his spare time to play in parks to hundreds of all ages fans.
Live performances have given Perez the chance to preview his original material to an ever-growing fan base. The songs tell tales of time, life, friends, family, injury and catharsis – all penned with same the honesty and sincerity that the artists he’s covered have become famous for.
D at Sea’s first original single “December” was released late January for free download and stream, and once again thousands of fans took to the track. Only this time it was his own song, and more importantly, his own words. “December” was written as a coping mechanism for Perez, serving as a meditative process during a particularly challenging time, something he hopes will resonate with fans.
Whatever the challenges before, D at Sea is the silver lining that has allowed Perez to channel his creativity and create heart-felt songs that appear on his debut EP “Unconscious”, available worldwide now via UNFD. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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