We caught up with Dan of Quicksand Swimclub, who was featured on the blog earlier this summer. The band is releasing their new single,"Better Days" this Monday, November 14th.
How's the band been since we last had you on the blog?
: The band has gone through tremendous changes since we last spoke early summer with member changes and direction of sound. After touring the Midwest we decided to part ways with our former bassist to downsize to a three piece. That worked for a few months until Nik (original bassist/guitarist) left the band for personal reasons. Performing and meeting new people is the best part about being in a band so we are continuing as a two piece. No, we don't sound like the white stripes but we are aiming our new sound towards the post-hardcore/pop punk genre while putting our "touch" to it.
Any cool shows or accomplishments since the last we spoke? Tell me a bit about this upcoming Fusion show.: Fusion Shows is a showcase company that is somewhat "prestigious" for local bands to play shows for. They buy the best tour packages and give have locals opening slots. This Saturdays show is a local show they are putting together to see what new upcoming acts are like that they haven't worked with yet. Hopefully its a huge success, I'm excited to play with American Opera.
What's this 89x voting thing?: When I received the master file for "Better Days" I immediately sent it to 89x radio.com (new alternative rock station) thinking it was a shot in the dark and they would never give it the time of day. It's a huge deal to be on the radio to any musician let alone the biggest one of your genre. Turns out I was wrong and we made it to the finals of their Sunday night show which is an awesome opportunity for us. Even if we don't come out on top in the voting poll it's alright, at least they listened to us.
I see talk about a music video. Is that just talk? Or is that something the band is already working on getting done?: We are using shots from current performances (including this weekend) and shooting close ups November 25th. We are about 80% done with plotting ideas and what not.
So tell me about this new song!: We worked with Bryan Beeler (Chiodos, Cinematic Sunrise, The Swellers, We Are The Union, Squid The Whale) in our home town Northville, MI. I've known Bryan since my very first show in 7th grade seven years ago. This song is inspired from a friend who died in a car crash leaving a girlfriend of three years. The lyrics based from her point her point of view. There is a facebook page where his friends post thoughts about him and it's very touching: http://www.facebook.com/groups/100122036740121/
What's it about and what kind of things does the song explore?: The lyrics explore what it is like to deal with death of a close one. "Better Days" is a sampler genre wise of QSSC. Melodic post-hardcore that halfway makes you wish there was screaming to a pop-punk verse and chorus drifting back into the melodic post-hardcore with a touch of rock and roll. The guitar, bass, and drum work are dramatically better in this recording. It's a step in the right direction.
What else can we expect from the band in the coming months?: We have exciting shows in Michigan scheduled throughout Fall and Winter. In March we plan to take time off of shows to spend pre production for the new EP. We are recording a three song EP at 37 Studios (I See Stars, Chiodos, These Hearts) due to release late spring/early summer. Hopefully we will have exciting shows following the release.
