We recently reached out to the up-and-coming rock band, Dash|Ten about an email interview, and were lucky enough to get a few words from them. We talked Warped Tour, the Army Musical Outreach Program and more. You check it all out and more after the jump.
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Q – Can you tell us a little more about the Army Musical Outreach Program, and what it does?
A – It’s a weird and cool thing. Basically, Army Musical Outreach is a way to showcase Soldiers serving in unexpected ways – in our case, through playing music. Though Dash|Ten is what we’re doing now, we were all military musicians in the Army by trade, and that’s probably not the first thing people think of when they think “Army”.
Q – Your debut album self titled “Dash|Ten” is being released on May 21st. Can you tell us a little about making the album? What are some of the lyrical themes?
A – The songs were all recorded at different times, and it’s kind of culmination of years of writing. Corrin is our primary songwriter, so she has been working on some of these for years! The most recent song written is “What You Wanted”, and it’s definitely the one we’re most excited to play live. The lyrics range from frustrations to anger to triumph. We really try to keep the songs as real and true to who we are as possible, so they’re really just about different chapters of life. “The Scene” is probably our most tongue-in-cheek, controversial even, because it talks about how much money makes the world go ‘round in the music industry. It’s amazing how many promises are made to take hard-working musicians’ money.
Q – Dash|Ten were announced as part of the 2016 Vans Warped Tour lineup. Who are you excited to see at Warped this year when you’re not performing?
A – There are so many good bands this year! There’s also kind of a theme of “throwback Warped” happening, it seems, so those are the bands we’re most excited to see. The fact that Good Charlotte is coming back and playing some dates is pretty unbelievably awesome. We also definitely want to check out Reel Big Fish, New Found Glory, Sum 41, and Less Than Jake. Some great pop-punk happening out there this year.
Q – How did Dash|Ten’s involvement with Warped tour originally come about?
A – Well, Corrin has known Kevin Lyman (owner of the tour) for a few years through mutual friends. She even played a song for him at a music conference in Atlanta a long time ago when she was doing her solo artist music. Since then, they have stayed in touch, and Kevin was really supportive when she presented the idea of moving forward with Dash|Ten. Also, since Corrin is an online student of Full Sail University, he thought it could be a great fit for Dash|Ten to play on the Full Sail stage this summer. I mean, kicking off our band with Warped Tour? How could we say no?
Q – You’re on active duty and also doing the band. How does that affect your life? Is it different from that of non-musician servicemen?
A – There’s definitely a balance that happens. We still have to take physical fitness tests, be qualified on our weapons, complete Army training and requirements. There’s a certain amount of self-discipline it takes to pursue so many things at once. If anything, it has helped us a ton to endure the music industry and all the hard work that comes with being an independent band. We are definitely in a unique position right now, because Army Musical Outreach has made Dash|Ten our full-time job. So we are essentially “non-profit”. Our merch isn’t for sale, and we don’t have to worry about the costs (or getting paid) on tour. It’s actually a really amazing opportunity for us to give back to the music fan community.
Q – What kind of music did you grow up listening to?
A – Well, we grew up in the late 90s and early 2000s, and you can hear the influence of that music in our sound. Early No Doubt and Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters and Silverchair – all these bands have had a huge influence on us individually as musicians, and us as a band. We love that gritty and unpolished era of music – it makes music so REAL.
Q – What’s the best concert you’ve ever attended that you didn’t play?
A – Marmozets, who Corrin toured with in 2014, put on a really incredible live show. You can really tell how passionate they are about what they do – and sometimes they break some stuff in the process. Definitely not something we’re allowed to do (since all of our instruments are government-owned)!
Q – What are some of your favorite music releases from the past year?
A – The new Hands Like Houses album is pretty amazing. We’re big fans of theirs. The latest Radiohead release is really a breath of fresh air – great road music. Also pretty obsessed with PVRIS, whose single “You And I” goes on repeat pretty often in our headphones!
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:Photos from Dash|Ten’s performance at the Vans Warped Tour announcement.
