About Us
DUCHESS LEO is Daniel Ryan (that’s me) and Todd Buchler.
In September 2007 we began making music together. Todd brought his knowledge of electronic music, breakbeat and DJ culture, and I contributed the skeletons of songs I’d been writing for the better part of 10 years. We wrote and recorded for a year resulting in a deep catalogue of material and out of those songs shone the five that would be our first release, The Duchess Leo EP. The EP was completed in late 2008 and released in the spring of 2009.
In ‘09 we had a solid foundation from which to start playing shows and work towards a full length record. After the EP’s release Todd began taking piano lessons, music theory and composition classes. I started learning the fundamentals of audio and design, and the tools for using them. Through out this time we continued to write and record, watching our roles in the band begin to overlap.
Earlier this year we started making plans for the recording and release of our first album. Those plans changed a thousand ways. With the help of friend and producer, Daniel Whitt, we completed recording at his studio, Metaltern, in Alabama. Recording was completed in mid June, we mixed in Brooklyn with the great Godfrey Diamond and then handed it back to Daniel Whitt so he could stick a fork in it with mastering.
We are currently preparing to release our LP, Golden Gray, on Whale Heart Records. We’ll be playing all over in 2011.
