New Day Dawn Bio

“Rock and roll was originally music of the people. It came from a place of rebellion, a place of helping people question the status quo, and helping people question if what everybody else is saying is really the right way to live your life, or if there’s another way to live.”

These are the words of New Day Dawn lead singer and guitarist Dawn Botti, and nobody embodies questioning the status quo, and finding another way to live, quite like her. Botti's story, however, is about more than just rock and roll, it's about what can happen when one decides to let their dreams take the wheel.

For years Botti led a double life. She was a Senior Vice President at a major media company by day, and a rock musician by night, performing all over the U.S., including at a number of major music festivals, such as South By Southwest (SXSW), and the Millennium Music Conference. Her double life lasted until June of 2012, when she was confronted with an ultimatum. “My boss said to me either you’re going to be successful here, and you’re gonna push your music back down to a hobby level, or you can’t work here.” It was a choice Botti had thought about on a regular basis, but she says when it was actually presented to her “it was the easiest decision in the world to make. I’m not giving up music.”

Soon after she parted ways with her nine to five, New Day Dawn, which consists of Botti, drummer Gary Szczecina, who is also Botti’s husband, and guitarist PJ Angeloni, finished their second album, Rise Above This, which will be released in February.

Musically, Botti describes Rise Above This as “anthemic rock, with big, bold choruses.” This is due, in part, to New Day Dawn working with Chris Henderson (3 Doors Down), and John Moyer (Disturbed, Adrenaline Mob). Rise Above This is also very autobiographical, as Botti explains, “A lot of my songs are about following your dreams, and not letting anything stop you. On stage I tell my stories, and my struggle, and that I quit that corporate job, and people relate to that.”

Listeners appreciate that Botti comes from a place of experience, and authenticity. Her story is real, and it’s one that no teeny bopper, or twenty something, could possibly tell. She notes that having a plethora of life experiences has played a key role in her music, and she’s looking to “celebrate those differences, and that rebellion, and that passion in life.”

New Day Dawn isn’t Botti’s first taste of rock success. Her previous band, Slushpuppy, received airplay from Matt Pinfield on NYC’s K-Rock (WXRK 92.3FM), which at the time was the most influential rock radio station on the East Coast. The band would regularly sell out shows at the legendary CBGBs in New York City, and she and her friend Chris Gibson, who was the lead singer of the band High Speed Chase, even booked events at the venue.

Slushpuppy caught the ear of a number of record labels, but ended up breaking up in 2003, and shortly thereafter their bassist, Cory Baker, committed suicide. A year later Botti formed New Day Dawn, but quickly had to put it on the back burner when she became pregnant with her son. The band started back up in earnest in 2006, and released their first full length album, The Company We Keep, in 2008.

For Botti, she says one of the highest compliments someone can give her is that they can’t get her songs out of their head. “To me, that means I’ve succeeded. I want you to remember.”

After one listen to Rise Above This, it’s clear Botti is a woman, and New Day Dawn is a band, you won’t want to forget.