We dig weird bands and we dig bands that contain married couples. Daymoths fits both of those bills. The Twin Cities' duo has made two stops at the Replay already this year, but on May 14th they're (sadly) bypassing LFK for the Record Bar in Kansas City (and bringing along a full band). Visit their Orchid Promotion page here for everything you need to know about Daymoths and enjoy this interview with Emily Dantuma which examines the band's homemade soap and soap groupies, green PBR, and touring the country with a couple of adorable dogs.
Richard: We’re huge fans of the kinds of bizarre and elaborate comparisons that music critics love to make when describing bands. Daymoths has been described as ““like Portishead covered in rainbow sprinkles” (Songz for Ears) and as containing “flashes of wide and fragrant forests, dancing girls with long hair and even longer dresses, Pulp Fiction scenes, brown record players and kaleidoscopic pictures…” (Weirdomusic). How would you describe your own work using a similarly elaborate approach?
Emily: Wow, that's a pretty tough first question. I really can't even figure out what sub-genre we fit in to. It sounds like pop music written by gothic thirty-something midwesterners. Uh....... and there's a unicorn eating a taco.
Richard: It sounds like you’ve been involved with a lot of more experimental and noise-rock projects prior to Daymoths. Tell us about those and how do those past projects inform your current sound?
Emily: Up until Daymoths (excepting Vox Vermillion) the bands we wrote and performed with were more about pleasing ourselves sonically. With Daymoths we are trying to write music that other people will like too. The weirdness definitely still sneaks in though.
Chip: As a married couple, do you two ever get into intense spats on stage and curse each other up and down in front of the audience?
Emily: Haha! No but that's a pretty good idea.
Richard: The “Back in Time” video contains what appears to be an animated wooly mammoth stampede. Tell us about the meaning behind the song and how the video came about?
Emily: The song is about evolution and realizing the big picture of reality. Rev K is a St Paul illustrator that I had admired for a while. We approached him about doing some scenes for the video. Pretty much I just told him the first sentence and gave him the lyric sheet and his genius was unleashed! Check him out on Facebook yo! [Direct link to video here ].
Richard: What’s the reception typically like at shows? Do you find your sound works well in a room of chatty, drunken scenesters? Or is it often challenging to get people to pay attention?
Emily: If only we were drawing drunken scenesters! No, I'm kidding. We are mostly well received. At a show in Knoxville this kid kept calling his friends and holding the phone up so they could hear us. He was yelling "you're the best 2 piece ever!" That doesn't usually happen but we think the people are liking it.
Chip: We hear that you sell hand-crafted soaps at your merch table, which we love (but it does sound a bit like a Portlandia sketch!). Tell us about the soap. Is it a big-seller?
Emily: More like "Fight Club" than "Portlandia." Actually it sells really well! The worse the bar smells the more we sell. We make it in our garage at home. It's really nice, all natural, biodegradable and you definitely won't go back to store-bought if you try it. Instead of music groupies we have soap groupies. I'm not kidding.
Chip: We also hear that you’ve been touring with a bulldog and a Pomeranian. Do you have any adorable or wacky animal-related tour stories to share with us?
Emily: They are an odd couple. They basically kicked me out of the passenger seat. As soon as the engine starts up they run up and sit next to each other. If anyone else wants to sit there they have to put up with a 70 pound American Bulldog and a 13 pound Pomeranian on their lap. I've given up. I just sit in the back.
Richard: You played the Replay in Lawrence in January of this year. How was that show? Did anybody show up? Did you drink some PBRs?
Emily: It was a fun show! We actually have played the Replay twice in the last few months. Making friends. The last time we played was just after St Patty's Day so our hospitality was indeed PBR, green PBR (yuck!).
Richard: Tell our readers what to expect at the Record Bar show and what else is on the horizon for Daymoths in 2012?
Emily: The Record Bar show is going to be SO AWESOME! We're joining two local songstresses: Heather Thornton and Maryam El Sherif. We'll have our full band (a rare treat out of town!) and we're basically going to have waaaaay too much fun for a Monday.
In 2012 Daymoths is going to keep hitting the road relentlessly and we're doing some writing at home. I think it's safe to expect a EP out before the year is up.
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