Just Dandy

Amidst some mixed reviews for the eighth chapter in The Dandy Warhols chronicles: Earth to the Dandy Warhols, the band return to tour Australia this month.

Not total strangers to Oz shores, in fact they love Australia because their favourite bands are appreciated here. So says Dandys’ drummer, Brent Deboer.  The band’s love of Australia has something to do with the fans they encounter here.
“We always tour Australia.”

“We love Australia. The people are smart and cool,” he said.

Brent is excited about their upcoming tour to Australia for another reason; he plans to tie the knot with his fiancé whilst here. Choosing to remain tight-lipped about details of the impending nuptials, Brent instead relives fond memories of previous tours to Australia, one in particular the 2004 Big Day Out circuit, which saw them perform alongside Metallica, The Darkness and The Flaming Lips.

“I mean come on. Living in hotels across Oz with this crew? It was a blast to say the least,” he beams.

The Dandy Warhols current foursome has been solid for over a decade. Made up of band members, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, vocals and guitar; Zia McCabe, on keyboards, bass and vocals; Brent on drums and Peter Holstrom on guitars. According to Brent, it’s their mutual respect for each other that has seen them stick together for this long.

Dandys’ classic - We Used to be Friends

“This respect allows us to acknowledge and appreciate each others artistic, musical and creative ideas,” said Deboer.

The Dandy Warhols first became known to us when they broke through with their distinct grunge rock ballads. Tunes including “Not if you were the last Junkie on Earth”, “Bohemian Like You”, “Godless” and “The Last High”, spawned from albums 13 Tales of Urban Bohemia and Welcome to the Monkey House helped to establish them successfully at the height of a music landscape which at that time was lapping up sounds out of Seattle and anything alternative rock it could get its hands on. The sounds they are creating today exhibit strong moves away from this alternative garage rock scene. Instead Earth to the Dandy Warhols delivers songs with a bent towards electronic and psychedelic ‘shoe-gaze’ retrospection.

Deboer believes in order to make the ‘great songs’ from this album of which the band are all very proud, it’s their ability to tap into the currency of music and maintain their relevancy in the changing music environment. “Being influenced by any great song, by any great artist, on any level regardless of musical genre and being fortunate enough to have a talent for song writing and musical arrangement are what assisted us to make this album,” he said.

Whilst Deboer is clearly passionate about his band’s latest offering he’s quick to downplay the criticism he and his fellow bandmates have endured for making it this way. “The record was finished when Zia, Courtney, Peter and I decided it sounded cool. If the music makes us happy and feels groovy we figure there are a few people out there in the same boat,” he continued.

He remains firm that the songs featured on the Earth to the Dandy Warhols album are purely for lovers of their music. “We make music for people who listen to music, not critics,” he said.

Catch The Dandy Warhols when they play the following live shows (2008):

OCT 28 - Metro City, Perth

OCT 31 - Enmore Theatre, Sydney

NOV 01 - Stonefest, Canberra

NOV 02 - Fat As Butter, Newcastle

NOV 05 - Tivoli, Brisbane

NOV 06 - The Palace, Melbourne

NOV 07 - The Palace, Melbourne

Posted: October 11th, 2008 under INTERVIEWS, international.
Comments: none