Interview // Dreamy D
Photo by Kevin Condon
A bulldozer going against traffic on the L.A. freeway, Tijuana red light district, and picklebacks: Dreamy D is hard forever.
You moved to Los Angeles from Charlotte, NC. What prompted the coast switch? What parts do you like most about Southern California? What do you miss most about Charlotte?
I’ve been in and out of Los Angeles since last winter. It’s nice to be so close to the ocean, mountains, desert, and the Tijuana red light district all at once. It feels like a different country down here. It's overcrowded, dirty, and I once saw a bulldozer going against the flow of traffic on the freeway. But all of that adds to the excitement. Also, all other tacos can fuck off.
North Carolina is very dear to me but it just felt like time to leave. I peaced out a couple years ago and have done a lot of bouncing around since. I do miss it. I miss my friends and family there. I miss Appalachia, Southern summer thunderstorms, and strangers saying hello. Also, Picklebacks.
The first Dreamy D record, Hard Forever, comes out this fall. What's the meaning of the record and how were you inspired during the writing and recording?
I’m not sure that it has any sort of specific meaning. There are common themes of love, sex, and betrayal between family, friends, and lovers. Some songs were primarily inspired by personal experience and others by things I’ve read. During the recording process, the band was a huge influence in how each song was finally produced. So yeah: experience, books, the band, hard liquor, and ganja.
How long have you been writing and recording the record? What was that process like and how did the move impact the schedule of the release?
Aw geez. This album was in the works for nearly three years. I made some demos and then we tried a D.I.Y. approach. After working on it for a year between tour schedules, it was decided that the home studio method wasn’t going to do the album justice. I eventually decided to switch up the roster a bit and go all-in at a nice studio. It worked. As far as the release schedule goes, until now we were never at a point to even think about a release date. Now is the only time that it has ever made sense. All that being said, plans for the follow-up to Hard Forever are already in the works. We found our groove and intend to stay in it. Most of the follow up, which may or may not be called Goin’ Platinum, is already written.
Photo by Ben Capron
What was the recording style for the record? Were you in a studio or doing it in more of a DIY environment?
The album was recorded live to tape at The Fidelitorium in Kernersville, NC. It was a great experience. Chris Garges from Old House Studio was brought in to engineer. We stayed there pounding away at it, day and night, for the better part of a week. I’m happy with our decision to go live. I think it supplied a bit of extra heat to the mood during the whole process. One song, “Thank You White Satan”, was written on the fly as we recorded. We then reversed the tape and re-recorded the same song on top of the backwards version. What I’m trying to say is that we are really smart and love art.
Have you been playing, recording, and performing music for a while or with other groups or is this a new creative expression for you?
I’ve done all of the above for a little over a decade now. This project still feels like a newer form of expression though. I’ve never embedded myself so fully into anything before. It is both terribly exciting and scary as hell. I’m walking a very fine line these days. Living on miracles, asking myself “What Would Dreamy Do?”
Your music and videos are all very cinematic and well produced. What role does visual/film expression play in your music?
Film actually plays a decent role in how I write. And “cinematic” is definitely a quality I keep in mind. I like to think that I’m making songs for some of my future favorite films. And oh yeah, also drag queens. The second single/video will be seeing the light of day within the next few weeks.
I’ve actually been attempting to solidify a Top 5 favorite movies list.
Current Draft of Top 10 (subject to change and in no particular order):
-Suspiria
-Dumb and Dumber
-Enter the Void
-The Devils
-The Proposition
-Alien
-The Thing
-Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
-Happiness
-The Shining
Hard Forever's pitch-black ballads charge forward through the record without reprieve. How was the arrangement of the record developed and how does the aggression of the record compare to you personally?
The arrangement of the album was decided as we learned and rehearsed the songs that week before the studio. We had the songs and eventually figured out a sequence that made the most sense to us. As far as aggression goes, I’m a puppy dog most of the time. But I got bad breath and those sharp little puppy teeth. I’ll say that Hard Forever feels about right.
Will there be some touring behind the release? What's your band like and what can people expect from a Dreamy D live experience?
Yeah there’s definitely gonna be a tour lined up with the release. I feel its safe to say that the entire band is dreamy as hell and any audience can expect to remember the show. We’ll bum you out or become your new favorite band. I’m game for either. Fuck it, both.