When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens,
Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel, the first time I ever heard Kiss's
"Detroit Rock City,"
it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and
mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphanies
since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and
revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your musical epiphany moments?
We all have all had some different music epiphany moments, but I think we all collectively can agree that hearing those certain classic rock bands really got us hooked and started our Rock Music journeys. For Tony it was discovering Pink Floyd from his grandpa, for Rob it was diving into the Beatles discography, for Tim it was the "Selling England by the Pound" album by Genesis, for Joey it was watching videos of The Who at isle of Wight Festival, and for Marissa it was listening to Beatles and Joni Mitchell records with her dad. But if there was one absolute defining music epiphany moment for this band, it was when Tony and Rob discovered The Black Angels, Sleepy Sun, & Black Mountain in Sophomore year of High School. It opened the floodgates on modern psych rock and they found the underground rock music community and all the bands it had to offer. people were still making incredible rock and there was so much more to dive deeper into. This also started a downright obsession with the psych world which included road trips to the early Austin Psych Fests (now Levitation Fest) and actually meeting the people who made the music we were listening to and getting inspired by.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
A little more than half of the time, Our song writing process is communal, while we are all jamming in our practice space. One of us starts the jam, a riff gets played and we just roll with it. Pieces start coming together and we all decide what sticks and what gets tossed. Marissa riffs and writes out lyrics ad melodies while the rest of us get the instrumentals down. If it’s like that, it’s usually one of us bringing a riff to the table paired with some melody or lyrics and the process begins again. There's no true way we compose the songs. It’s all different with each song.
Who has influenced you the most?
Many of us have been influenced by many of the "Rock Legends" of days past. People like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Syd Barrett, and Dio. But I think many of us are influenced by many of the people we have met along the road, lovers, family members, artists, and many creative muses.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
We can as a group all agree that seeing all the great bands that are making music right now continue to inspire and creatively push us forward and motivate us to be as good as we can be. When we play shows with bands we really like or get along with well, it makes us want to be just as good as we were the last time we saw them. Finding hidden gems in older music is a place where we find a lot of new ideas, looking at how weird and out there some of these lesser known musicians were. Other than that, were also pretty inspired by nature, old films, interesting people, our friends.
We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?
When it comes down to it, Chicago is a pretty tough town. And it always has been. And you can really see it on the way people carry themselves and what they create musically and artistically. 8 months of they year its winter and cold, the other half is hot summer heat. And it really shows in the music and it really shows in the people. This isn't a city for soft people. It’s also an extremely diverse city which influences us. Most of us have the midwest cheery attitude despite the crippling winters. That’s the midwest for ya haha. The city's rich musical past also really seeps into our music as well. Muddy Waters and other blues musicians are definite inspirations as well.
Where'd the band name come from?
The band name came from Tony and Rob. They started the band and were walking home one day, listening to the black angels, when a hawk was circling overhead. Dead Feathers was on a list of names we were thinking of, and that moment solidified it. "Many people ask about the name and what is a ‘Dead Feather’". In a way it's many things. Dead Feathers are those solitary feathers you find on the ground from what seems like, out of nowhere. It's detached from the living (or dead) bird that it came from. There’s a feeling of mystery and cryptic vibes when you find one. Some people find them more than others, some not at all, some people find entire dead birds haha. Feathers are also seen as sacred objects in many indigenous cultures. Finding one or seeing a certain bird was always special to me. Seeing that hawk flying above us that day felt like a sign or a good omen." - Tony
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?
This question was pretty tough to choose. Many of us are Lord of the Rings fans, but that soundtrack already is so good I dot think we could take that away or do it justice.
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?
If we had to write an essay on one song, I think collectively we would choose "No Quarter" by Led Zeppelin. It has a lot of depth, and it has influenced us all in one way or another. It was one song by zeppelin that really stands apart from the rest musically. When we played a show with Jake, A member of the Flaming Lips & Spaceface, he noted that Dead Feathers music reminded him of one long version of No Quarter played out into an entire set. In the best possible way.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
There’s been quite a few moments that's for sure! Playing a 4:20 time slot at a festival for recovering drug addicts, Haunted Hotel Parties, Pizza shop shows with a 5 person crowd and 100 people on a patio not knowing there is a show on the other side of the room, Border patrol taking our oranges, Post show 4am haze with a band from Mexico City and a missing band member. I don't know if we are allowed to play Iowa City anymore. We plead the fifth!
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you and for your fans?
Playing live to us is all about making the connection with the crowd. Getting everyone on the same wavelength in the same boat that we are. Seeing the people in the crowd feeling the music and the expression on their faces. When the fans see and hear what we are trying to pour out on stage. That's one of the greatest feelings for all of us.
What makes a great song?
To us, what makes a great song is a song that deeply connects to the listener. the feeling of goosebumps you get when you hear a certain part of it, or a solo or even one note. When you can literally feel it in your bones and it shakes you to the core. A song that brings tears to your eyes and moves you. A song that you can connect with and relate to, or a song that literally feels like time travel and takes you to a different place in your life, or a different moment in time all together. Transcending. When you can really feel what the artist has put into it. That's what we think makes a great song.
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?
The first song we ever wrote was quite simple called "Dear Russia". Simple musicianship and a lot of straightforward lyrics. Like any other skill, it takes a lot of trial and error, and practice. The first song we wrote never made it onto any album. Sure there's recordings of it but it isn't going to be resurfaced we don't think hah. Young and political, with a lot to say. It was a crucial part in the songwriting and musical process. It felt very good to actually make a piece of music to call our own.
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
We would have to pick one of the songs off of the upcoming album. "Not Ours To Own" is a song we all can agree is a song of ours that has a lot of depth to it. Instrumentally and lyrically. It was written in a time when there was a lot of change happening in all of our lives and somehow, we channeled our energy to create that one song. It has a lot of pain, struggle, emotion, and power. It’s one of our more powerful songs. It’s one song that we hope many of the fans and listeners enjoy and can really dig into.
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
Were huge fans of Kikagaku Moyo. We have played with them on their first Chicago tour date in 2016. We were fans of theirs for years before that as well. Every time we see them, they just kill it and blow the entire crowd away. They have a very big influence on Tony and Rob. We also really dig King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, The Black Angels, Tinariwen, & our Texas buds Crypt Trip.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
Vinyl hands down. and Digital in the tour van.
Whiskey or beer? And defend your choice
We're always down for the Whiskey Shot & Beer combo. But if we had to choose, probably whiskey. Marissa leans towards Wine.
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new
music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record
store to lose ourselves in?
Our hometown of Chicago has some of the best record stores in the country. And we never forget it. There's quite a few favorites in the band but we would have to say our favorites are: Shuga Records & Reckless Records. Shuga is owned and run by some really cool folks that really know their music. They really got an incredible selection. And Reckless is hands down one of the best stores in the country. They've got it all. We could spend the entire day digging through crates. Which is what we usually end up doing while on the road.
What's next for the band?
The next steps for the band are pretty crucial. Following the release of our "All is Lost" Album is just the beginning. We have most of the second album in the bag, and we can't wait to record it and release it to all the people. We want to tour more, tour the west coast some more, they really do seem to like us over there. We also want to get over to Europe, tour overseas, and really get our music out there.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
Thank you for the continued support to the people who have been with us since day one, or jumped on board along the way, it is really special knowing that there are people out there that really love what we do. And to all the new fans that will hear us in the near future, we can't wait to come to your city so you can hear it in person.
