iSound

Dedication takes on new meaning when it comes to Unstable, a California-based trio who were about to record their demo, when the deadliest outbreak of fires in more than a decade forced them to ecavuste their Lake Arrowhead homes. The deadly blazes destroyed nearly3,600 houses, blackened more than 743,000 acres of brush and timber and left over 100,000 Southern California residents without electricity. Despite the chaos -- and the fact that they left their instruments behind when they fled for safety -- vocalist/guitarist Joey Chrisman, bassist James Bellis and drummer Justin Ivey went ahead and made the recording.

"It was the best thing we could've done," says Chrisman, 19. "It's not like we could've fought the fires, and there was no point in sitting around worrying. So we borrowed some gear and channeled everything we were feeling at the time -- the anger, the anxiety, the frustration -- into the music. If nothing else, it was therapeutic."
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