In three years, dredg has graduated to touring up and down the West Coast. The band formed in 1997 and started playing regional venues like the Cactus Club. THE GUYS in dredg have been friends since childhood and publicly present a unified front-an admirable all for one and one for all mentality.

The contract's being drawn up right now.' All he will say is, 'They got a good deal.' According to him, 'Everything has been agreed to, but nothing's been signed yet. Like the band, Avila won't go into specifics on the Interscope deal. 'Interscope's really excited to have them the band's really excited to be there,' Avila says, predicting, 'I think it's going to be a good marriage.' Still, talking with the San Jose native (who just returned from the Rock in Rio Festival) over the phone, Avila expresses enthusiasm about the promise this young band has shown. Before P-Roach got signed, I received weekly updates on the band from Avila, but he rarely calls with the scoop on dredg. It does appear that Bair and Avila are taking a fairly hands-off approach with dredg. But while the surprisingly shy group hesitantly talked about their music and history, they wouldn't budge in their refusal to discuss their impending deal with Interscope or their ties to Bair and Avila.

After all, it's not every day a South Bay band gets signed to a major label. I sat down on the couches near the fireplace in Orchard Valley Coffee in downtown Campbell with Engles, vocalist Gavin Hayes, drummer Dino Campanella and bassist Drew Roulette-all in their early 20s-to chat about their big news.

Not only that, dredg is managed by BigTime Management founders Bret Bair and Gary Avila-the same team that led Papa Roach to the top. That's an unexpected approach, considering that the unconventional underground band that formed in Los Gatos is very close to signing a deal with Interscope Records, where Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst is a vice president. Rather, they hope their complex songs will strike a chord with a smaller, more selective audience that can truly appreciate what guitarist Mark Engles describes as their 'unspoken vision.'

They insist that they're not trying to become rock stars or make a million dollars. Major label Interscope looks to sign South Bay rock conceptualists dredgĬOMPARING THEIR ARTISTIC, almost orchestral, style of rock to an art-house film, the four players in dredg don't seem particularly interested in mainstream commercial success. On the Map: dredg's ambitious concept album, 'Leitmotif,' caught Interscope's eye.

Leitmotif dredg