Local Band Shines its 'Headlights' on Road to Fame

The moments before Dean Denell took the stage for a career-changing performance, he said he remembers feeling nervous and skeptical.

After a series of winning performances in a Metro Detroit band competition sponsored by radio station WRIF,  Denell and his Headlights Over Hills bandmates weren't sure how they'd finish.

At stake? A grand prize of $10,000, national tour dates and a chance to record a new album.

On July 10, Denell discovered dreams do come true.

'Why we make music'

"We played our hearts out," Denell said. "Thankfully we have great fans and everyone came out to support us that night, reminding us why we make music in the first place."

When the band was announced as winner of the 2010 Battle of the Bands, Denell,  
a Clawson resident and graduate from had "the most surreal feeling."

And now as he and his band prepares for their new album release in December, they are working to gain momentum from fans and move one step closer to signing a deal with a national record label. 

Who could have foreseen this five years ago?

Making the band

Headlights Over Hills was formed in 2005 by a group of Clawson High School students: Carl Kondrat and Nick Urbanik on guitars, Chris Crampton on bass, Alex Chisholm on drums and Denell. Originally nothing more than a group of friends who loved playing music, the sound and chemistry quickly evolved into something they felt compelled to record.

After demo-ing early songs and eventually releasing a self-produced CD called Search Party in 2005, the band began performing small shows at the Hunter Community Center. Denell said he was fond of their Hunter peformances.

"They seem to bring everyone together. It's like a home for us," he said.

Together again

In 2007, the band broke up, but regrouped two years later, bringing in two new members, on the guitar and keyboards.

"If we're gonna do it, do it right," Denell said. "(We'll) take it as far as we can."

The band released its self-produced album in November 2009 and celebrated with a performance at Knights of Columbus in Clawson. The new record included music inspired by famous groups such as Thrice, Radiohead, System of a Down, The Beatles and The Beach Boys.

The Next Steps

The band is heading back into the studio to work on new material. With all the interest from the competition, as well as the lucrative prizes, Headlights Over Hills band members said they are ready to take the next step. The band played before national act Marcy's Playground last weekend at New York New York, a music venue in Chesterfield, MI.

The band's 2009 release "Hardly Could Remember, Never Will Forget" is available on iTunes as well as at their concerts. Check out songs "Speak of the Devil" and "Malpractice Makes Perfect."