I sat down and interviewed the members of Undefeated, a teen sibling band from Lowville, New York, to find out more about who these young stars are on a more personal level. Keep reading to learn all about Undefeated and to discover your new favorite band.
A little bit about Undefeated
Undefeated is a rock and metal band with "a lil' bit of glitter thrown in" consisting of Meredith (19), Christian (18), and Lis (15) Dunckel. Undefeated officially became a band on August 5th of 2017 when Meredith, Christian, and their former bassist played their very first show on the lawn of a bookstore in Inlet, New York. Lis officially joined undefeated on August 7th of 2021.
Their music is influenced by Lacey Sturm, Wage War, and Impending Doom. If they could send one message to their audience through their music, it would be a message of hope and a reminder to have fun and enjoy life.
Although they are now a sibling band, they haven't always wanted to be one. Meredith stated that,
"Originally, that was what I wanted the least. I always said that I would never be in a sibling band and never wanted to be in one and now I think that it is the greatest thing ever".
You can find Undefeated on every music platform. Click here to go to their link tree where you can stream all of their music!
I am: Meredith
Meredith started playing backup guitar for a youth band when she was 13 and after a concert someone had told her that she needed to be on stage. She attended the Rock & Worship Festival in Massachusetts, where she said "Everybody I met there was like me and understood who I was" and that is where she knew music was her thing and that she wanted to start a band. So she asked her brother, Christian, if he wanted to start a band and he said "HECK YEAH" and that is what got everything rolling for what we know today as Undefeated.
Meredith and her killer style
Many people have noted that Meredith has a very bright and unique style. With her bright blue hair and love for glitter, her style can not go unnoted.
"I would say my style is influenced by the fact that life is too short to wear boring clothes. Wear what's fun and if you love it, GET IT. And if it has glitter, that's a bonus!"
But her style has not always been so bold and boundary-breaking. She grew up dressing and acting very contemporary before she discovered rock music.
Growing up, she did not know of many Christian rock bands, so she had mainly listened to contemporary music, so when she discovered that she could listen to and write insightful and hopeful lyrics that honored Christ, she was able to develop not only a love for metal music but a rocker style as well. Christian described her style when she was younger as "very English teacher-like" and now she feels like her style is about looking fun and having a lot of glitter and colors all over.
"As I became more myself and I knew more about who God said I was, I found a different style and evolved as I grew older."
While interviewing Meredith, I challenged her by asking what she wanted to be known for and her answer was simple yet something that many people need to hear. She said, "I want to be known for living in a way that shows people that there is freedom from oppression." The definitions of oppression are; prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control, the state of being subject to unjust treatment or control, and mental pressure or distress. The world, especially in the music industry, really needs someone like Meredith to use her voice to express being free from oppression of all sorts.
I Am: Christian
Christian is Undefeated's drummer and even screams in some of their songs, such as Cages and Land Of The Dead. Aside from being occupied with band related things, Christian is currently a full-time high school student finishing up his senior year at Lowville Academy and even taking a couple college courses.
When asked what his favorite song from Undefeated is, he said it would be Cages (one of their new releases) because the technicality of the drums are at a higher level than some of their other songs and he even screams some undertones in it. He said, "Thats what really gets me rocking." Christian mentioned that he does hope to incorporate more low and guttural screams into their songs since it does work so well with his and Meredith's voice.
Christian was really introduced to drumming when he was just seven years old but became serious about drumming at the age of twelve.
"Well, our Mom and Dad got me a drumset so I started really early and just kept playing and eventually I just fell in love with it. I kept playing and playing and now I'm at the point where I can't stop."
Throughout his time playing, Christian has grown to have a few role models in the music industry. Two of his biggest influences are Luke Holland because of his amazing drumming and the fact that he can do all kinds of music, and Mario Duplantier from the band Gojira. Christian says he has fallen in love with Duplantiers' polyrhythmic drumming.
I asked Christian the same question that I asked Meredith. What does he want to be known for?
"I don't want to be vain, but I definitely would like to be known for my drumming. I guess that would be nice. And, of course, being a nice guy as well."
And lastly, I asked how he felt about being in a band with his siblings. He said that, as expected when working with siblings, they can all get annoyed with each other after a long day, but for the most part it is nice.
"Like everything, it has its ups and downs, but it definitely works and I think we are all comfortable with it. We all lock in really well on stage because we have that sibling bond, but it can be interesting."
I am: Lis
Lis is Undefeated's bassist and youngest member. On August 7th of 2021, Undefeated's former bassist stepped down, so Lis decided to step up, making Undefeated officially a sibling band. Lis quickly picked up playing the bass and, at just seven months of playing, is ready to take on any challenge the music throws at her. Her favorite song by Undefeated is Shadows because she loves its baseline and finds it a lot of fun to play.
Outside of the band, Lis is a high school freshman at Lowville Academy and on Pointe at Light Of The World Ballet School in Syracuse. She also works a part-time job at The Edge Hotel In Lyons Falls. Her biggest role models in the music industry are Impending Doom because their music is very driving and heavy. Lis also really loves Tanya O'Callaghan,
"I love her dreadlocks, her clothing style, the way she plays, her stage presence, and just her whole being"
Lis had planned on doing ballet for the rest of her life up until around two months ago, when she realized that music was what she wanted to do.
"Things just changed and I realized that I really want to do stuff with the band now."
Additionally, Lis really enjoys being in a band with her siblings. When she joined she knew that she was going to be working with her siblings (which many of us can agree would be very difficult) but hasn't regretted stepping up and continues to find more reasons for why she enjoys it.
"It's a lot of fun. They know my strengths and my weaknesses, so they can really help me along with anything that might come up. Having a sibling relationship is what makes that possible."
"I recommend it one hundred percent!"
Some final notes
Hey! Thanks for reading this article. I really enjoyed teaming up with Undefeated to write this.
You can click here to go to Undefeated link tree and you can listen to their music on all platforms. And click here for their Facebook events page.
Go stream their new release, Cages now!
