Name and duties.
Wes- singer
Justin- bass
Kelsey- drums
Laura- keys
Andy- guitar
What have you been up to lately?
We have been in the studio working on a full length that will be out in Jan/Feb. We have also been getting into playing more college dates. We have started to work with naca to meet more people and college representatives in this market. So far, it is going really well.
I’ve been listening to your new EP, and you really made some pretty sweet songs this time around. I think it sounds a little less dark than All the Houses Look the Same, a little more poppy (while still maintaining indie-cred, obviously). What made you move in that direction?
We just wrote the songs that came out naturally. I (Wes) write most of the lyrics and I had a lot to be happy about I think. Also, we wrote most of the songs for the record and the EP at the same time. So, I got the dark or moody songs out of my system on songs that are on the full length. I think overall, that writing this record was a lot of fun for us and you can hear it in our new songs.
Now you’ve gotten some new members in Deas Vail since the last record, right? How has that changed things?
We have two new members, Andy (guitar) and Justin (bass). They have vastly improved the overall of our band. They both bring great, creative attitudes and they both work really well in the studio. When they jumped on board they very quickly became a big part of our sound.
What do you really want listeners to get out of the White Lights EP?
I really want them to look forward to the full length. I want them to know that we are not going to put out the same art over and over again and that we will always try new things. I want the EP to make people smile and look forward to upcoming music.
How do you think you have changed as people in the transition between the full length and the new EP?
Well, I think we have had to concentrate on touring and pushing this because we love it. With the music industry taking so many punches lately, we have had to learn to ignore the bad stuff that we can’t change and remember that Deas Vail is our passion. It has given us a great sense of purpose and we want to hold on to that and share it with our fans. DV has become a community that we would like everyone to feel welcome in. That is the beautiful thing about music…it brings everyone together.
OK, so considering how tough things can be in the music industry right now, what is the best way for a fan to support Deas Vail right now?
Tell all your friends about Deas Vail. We want people to get involved with what we are doing. We want people to feel like they are a part of the community because they come to shows and hang out or stay in touch via myspace, facebook, etc. People could add our songs to myspace or request us on their local radio stations to help get the word out. Honestly, it really would help if people would buy our music too. We are honored that people are listening but there are difficulties that come with not being able to sell music anymore.
The day to day of touring leaves some bands with a lot of down time that results in them doing crazy things to keep themselves entertained. In what ways might this fit your band?
We get excited about the most inconsequential things. We had a party and put up a video on www.deasvail.com about our van going over 100,000 miles. I think we are really good at not taking ourselves to seriously. Sometimes to a fault.
Thanks for doing this interview. Anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you. We’re about to watch Kill Bill.