Hill of Dreams

Local man’s band to play with music icons

Ryan Quigley

Journal Pioneer

A dream came true for Ryan Gallant Friday night.

His band Death Valley Driver, for whom he’s the drummer, won the Rock the Hill’s Clash of the Bands finals at Monte’s Showbar in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and will be one of the opening bands for metal-music legends Metallica, Thursday at the Citadel Hill “Rock the Hill” concert in Halifax.

“It was just a dream come true for all of us,” he said. “Everybody in the band are just obviously the biggest Metallica fans ever, we were just so overwhelmed, I don’t think any of us said a word for the first twenty minutes. We were just in shock.”

The Clash of the Bands Death Valley Driver won, was a contest to find a local act to take part in Metallica’s long anticipated concert in the Martime’s biggest city. Regional Clash of the Band’s were held in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. before the finals in Dartmouth.

Metallica is multi-platinum recording act and is often considered one of metal-music’s most influential acts.

Gallant, the only member of the band that lives in Summerside, said Metallica has had an influence on Death Valley Driver’s sound.

“You can really hear it,” he said. “If you like metal, you like Metallica. It’s pretty much influenced everybody I know including our whole band.”

“It’s like playing with the Beatles,” he added.

He said if he could meet any member of the hard rock band, it would be drummer Lars Ulrich.

“I don’t even know what I’d say to him, I’d probably just say ‘it’s an honour’. I don’t want to be that guy, you know, who breaks down crying or nothing like that,” he said. “I’m definitely going to let him know how much influence he was on my (music) career.”

The crowd may be bigger than he is use to but the drummer said he won’t be nervous when the band steps on stage in front of the Metallica hungry crowd.

“I don’t think being nervous is anything to deal with for any of us,” he said. “We like to think of ourselves as professionals so we’re pretty excited just to be able to do it. If anything it’s just going to make us more intense on stage.”

Though he won’t be nervous, Gallant said he and the band might still be in shock.

“I don’t think any of us are really going to understand what’s going on until we walk onto that stage and that’s going to be the moment we all look at each other we’re like, ‘We’re here.’”

He said if he could meet any member of the band, it would be drummer Lars Ulrich.

“I don’t even know what I’d say to him, I’d probably just say ‘it’s an honour’. I don’t want to be that guy, you know, who breaks down crying or nothing like that,” he said. “I’m definitely going to let him know how much influence he was on my (music) career.”