The band established themselves in the indie scene with their 1998 release of the concept album Leitmotif, landing them a deal with Interscope Records. Dredg released El Cielo in 2002 and in 2005 released the album Catch Without Arms. The band is most often associated with progressive and art rock.

History

Early Years (1993-1997)
While attending middle school in Los Gatos, California, Engles and Campanella started playing music together. After Engles and Campanella graduated to Los Gatos High School, older friends Hayes and Roulette joined the group.[3][4]
The name Dredg may have come from the English word dredge, which in its verbal usage means to unearth or widen/deepen a river or channel; dredge is also the name of the device used to perform this function. In 2005, Campanella added, "It was so long ago that we named it I can't even remember. Honestly, we don't even like the name anymore. We mostly don't like the way it sounds. It doesn't roll off the tongue well."[5]
In 1996, Dredg recorded and released their first demos of original material, the Conscious EP, garnering them exposure as far away as Boston.[3] Currently, very little information has ever been released about these demos. In 1997, they released what would become the early stages of their musical transition, the Orph EP. While the EP shows their nu metal upbringings, it includes the group's first instrumental track, "Orph". Additionally, the track "Kayasuma" shares its title with the name of the shaman in Leitmotif's liner notes for "Lechium".[6] With the release, Dredg slowly built a name for themselves in the Bay Area, as well as on the East Cost, such as Boston and New York.[3]
Leitmotif (1998-2001)
In 1998, Dredg recorded and released their first full-length, Leitmotif. Leitmotif was a concept album about a man traveling the world to cure his moral disease.[7] The story was included in the liner notes, in lieu of the actual lyrics. Written by Roulette, the band had planned to release a movie of the story;[7] however, upon the death of the lead actor, the project was scrapped.[8]
Over the next two years, Dredg toured mostly within California,[9] slowly expanding their fan base. The band began sending out a demo tape to several labels with four new songs intended for their next album, "Of the Room", "Redrawing the Island Map", "Running Through Propellers" and "The Papal Insignia".[10] In February 2001, Dredg was offered a deal by Interscope Records.[11] As part of the deal, Leitmotif was re-released by Interscope on September 11, 2001.
With the re-release of Leitmotif, Dredg toured nationally and internationally in support of the record with bands such as Alien Ant Farm, Pressure 4-5, The Apex Theory, Taproot, Deadsy and Onesidezero.[9]
El Cielo (2002-2004)
After signing to Interscope Records, the band began work on their major label debut, El Cielo. Like its predecessor, El Cielo was a concept album. Initially intended to revolve around Salvador Dali's Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bumblebee around a Pomegranate One Second Before Awakening, the band expanded the focus to include sleep paralysis after learning of Dali's own influences.[12] As they had done with the liner notes of Leitmotif, Dredg chose not to include the lyrics; instead, they printed letters sent to them by people suffering from sleep paralysis. Several songs on the album even included lyrics taken directly from the letters.[13]
When the band began writing material for the new album, they secluded themselves in the deserts around Palm Desert.[14] The majority of the album was recorded at Skywalker Ranch.[15] The band used three producers, Ron Saint Germain, Tim Palmer and Jim Scott, on the record, adding an additional layer of diversity to the album.[11] Completed in May 2002, the album was widely available on the internet before being released on October 8, 2002.[16] Dredg made music videos for two of the album's tracks, "Same Ol' Road" and "Of The Room".
Upon releasing the album, the band once again returned to their hectic touring schedule, including their first national headline tour with Codeseven, a then-unsigned Strata and either STUN or Woven supporting. They also toured with acts such as Ozomatli, Deftones, Chevelle, Hoobastank and Phantom Planet, as well as earning a spot on the Sno-Core Tour with Sparta, Glassjaw and Hot Water Music.[9][17]
Catch Without Arms - Live At The Fillmore (2005-2006)


Lead singer Gavin Hayes playing the slide guitar at The Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia on May 24, 2005.
While touring in support of El Cielo, Dredg began work on their third album, Catch Without Arms, spending 8 months writing material before taking another 10 months to record and mix the album.[5] Like their previous albums, Catch Without Arms w