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by Tony Pascarella Published: August 2, 2005
Formed in Kent, Washington nearly three years ago, indie trio Daphne Loves Derby is beginning to make a name for themselves in the music industry. Citing the internet as a big reason for their burgeoning success, their nearly 2.7 million plays on Purevolume.com speak for themselves. Fans were treated to an EP titled Closing Down the Pattern Department earlier this year, which is really a totally different sound from what they display on their debut full-length. On the Strength of All Convinced was released July 26th. DLD is comprised of lead vocalist/guitarist Kenny Choi, bassist/vocalist Jason Call, and drummer Stu Clay, three talented musicians that are always working to refine their sound. The band signed with Outlook Records, owned by Denver Broncos defensive lineman Trevor Pryce. "We were being courted by a lot of labels. All kinds--indies to some majors. We didn't want to sign to a really indie label or a really major label because if we went with a major label, we'd be put behind a shelf behind Mariah Carey, because you know, they have priorities. So we kind of met in the middle of the two options and signed with Outlook, which is a little bit of both," Jason explained. The label owner, Pryce, while balancing his NFL career, also takes a hands-on approach with his artists. When Daphne Loves Derby decided to record a video for the lead single, "Hammers and Hearts," it was Pryce's brainchild. "He came out to visit us. The first stop was my house, and I live on a lake. He walked into the house, and he looked out and said, 'Jay, you're going to shoot a video here.' It just worked out that we ended up shooting the video out on the lake that I live on." For a director, the band selected Major Lightner, who has worked with Norah Jones, Straylight Run, and Count The Stars in the past. Daphne Loves Derby is currently finishing up a tour with Sherwood and This Providence. They play Nerf basketball off the back of Sherwood's RV after shows, but they've been staying out of trouble. Call enjoys being on the road, working at something he loves to do. "My favorite thing is seeing the country. At this age, it's amazing. I don't think anyone, or hardly few people get a chance to go tour the country when they're fresh out of high school." On the topic of their touring partners, Jason speaks highly of both This Providence and Sherwood. "This Providence, they're from the same area as us. We've kind of grown up with them, and they are great. They're our brothers, and it's great to be out with your friends. And also, Sherwood, they're a bunch of great guys that are really similar to us. It's been a whole great experience that I'm glad to have been a part of."  As we moved to the more personal parts of the interview, I asked the 18-year old about his relatively recent accomplishment, graduating from college. "In Washington, they have a program called Running Start," Call explains. And that's where your junior and senior year of high school, instead of going to high school, you go to college. And it counts for both high school and college. So I just stopped going to high school and went over to the college and worked hard to do that. It was a whole lot of hard work doing that and all the band stuff. But I managed to do it and it's definitely been worth it." What's so amazing is that he's now a college graduate and full-time band member when most people haven't even begun to decide what they want to do with their lives.Jason may seem to contradict himself on the topic of music downloading, but he supports deferring to bands' requests on the subject. "I love it, I do it myself. But I don't think you should pirate music; if it's illegal, you shouldn't do it. The reason why we put all those songs up [on Purevolume.com] is because we recorded them ourselves and no real money went into it. We were fine with giving it out. We didn't spend tens of thousands of dollars in a studio with a producer and an engineer, pressing the CDs." He goes on to add, "Some of these other bands that need to support themselves, don't download their music and hopefully our new CD isn't downloaded too much. You can't stop it; the internet's big and people do that. So I'd just say if you like the music, go support the bands." I don't think I could have said it any better myself. The bassist gets philosophical when I ask him the heralded "ice cream question. After some thinking, he responds with, "I guess I'd be vanilla ice cream just because you can always put good toppings on it. And those toppings could be the people that I meet and it just shows that you have room to grow. Put some new toppings on every day; I don't want to be a set flavor yet, I haven't gotten to that point yet." Giving Jason a chance to speak his mind to close the interview, he says, "I want to thank everyone who's supported us this far. It's amazing the support we've had on the internet and on the road, the all-around, the kind people who've helped us out. It really means a lot to us; I encourage everyone to go out and buy the album [in stores July 26th] and support us. It'll help us be able to tour more and get out there and do better. Just thank you to everyone." I wish the best of luck to all three members of Daphne Loves Derby. This hardworking band will be touring pretty much nonstop now that On The Strength of All Convinced has been released. Look for them to hit a town near you. If you're a fan of bright indie rock with smooth melodies and sweeping hooks, this is one band you can't afford to miss. Special thanks to Jason Call and Mike Cubillos. Related Links: Daphne Loves Derby's On the Strength of All Convinced (Review) Daphne Loves Derby Official Site DLD Purevolume Page
To contact the author, click here. He will respond to all e-mail, hatemail included. If you are a publicist or associated with a band/label and would like either the author or any staff member to review your disc or conduct an interview, please use the same method of contact, and Tony will get back to you as soon as possible. |
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