Local band proves that they are DAM good

Recently, I met up with Russell of the local group, DAM and asked him if his band could make the time to work on a Q&A session with me. It is always very interesting to me to get down to the roots of a band or an artist. The members of DAM proved to be very passionate about what they do and about the Modesto music scene.

Catch DAM tonight at the Fat Cat as they open for the KISS Army. See the MySpace link below for more details.

Enjoy this and feel free to leave comments.

-Motown Mojo

MM: First of all, I have to say that I am sitting here listening to the CD that Russell gave me and I am really enjoying it. I love this style of music. It is timeless. It is something that my father and I could listen to together. That is rare. Is there a certain sound that you strive for?

D: We've always tried to make music that moves you, pulls at your heartstrings and leaves you in a better frame of mind.

MM: So, you have played music here in Modesto for over 20 years? That is amazing to me. You watched Grandaddy grow and you listened as Flying Blind had brief mass success. What is the most memorable event that you can recall in regard to our music scene in the last two decades?

D: The X-Fest was definitely a boost to the whole Modesto music scene.

MM: Why do you still do it? Some people say that music just gets in your blood and consumes you. Is that true for you? Listening to Russell speak was an eye opening experience for me. When he speaks of music his face changes. It’s almost as if the youthful exuberance that he had at the beginning comes right back. Do you do it to re-claim your youth?

D: The reason we are still playing and writing music is for the pure enjoyment of it. We feel very lucky to be able to do this and are very passionate about it.

MM: How close did DAM ever come to mass success? Were there moments over the last twenty years that made you feel like music was all that you would ever have to do to survive? I feel that way about writing. I don’t really care how much money that my words make me, I just want to write. But at some point a family comes into play and reality takes over. Survival becomes key. When did you give up on ever becoming a hit band? Maybe you never have.

D: We definitely still have hopes of taking our music to a larger audience. Over the years, we've had some interest from outside parties, but for whatever reason it just hasn't worked out yet. Hopefully someday. You've got to have a lot of faith in your songs because that really is the bottom line, how good are your songs? There's a reason people old and young love the Beatles.

MM: How does it feel to be on stage? Some bands have told me that they just lose themselves up there. There is a point where there is no audience to impress or lights to bask in. Is there really a point where it is just you and the music and nothing else? That must be the ultimate high.
 
D: Absolutely...the difference with the middle of a song and in between songs is a world apart.

MM: Modesto is at a point right now where we have some amazing bands playing almost every night. Do you listen to any of the bands out there at the moment? Some say that Sapo Sueno, Jon Valenti and Solar Powered People really have a shot at the big time. Do you have any advice for these guys? What should they look out for?

D: Some of DAM's current favorite locals are Solar Powered People, Johnny and Kelly, Fat Skeleton, Wicked Hickie, The Ivy Lines, Sapo Sueno and more. There is actually a real plethora of good bands and solo artists in Modesto right now and there are a lot of places to play. The competition makes for a very healthy music scene in Central Valley.

The best advice would just be to believe in yourself and what you're doing, and to keep working on making great music that will hopefully mean something to somebody somewhere.

MM: You are scheduled to play soon with Marshall Tucker, A KISS tribute band and some metal bands. That is a pretty diverse set of artists. Do you ever change your sound based on who you play with? What band has most inspired you over the years?

D: We actually have two bands, DAM and LEVEE, that have the same members. We thought it would just be simpler to push two separate bands to two different audiences. LEVEE is all of our heaviest music and songs,and DAM is our more mainstream music and songs.

Certain shows, we will mix up the song list to include songs from both bands. Other times,depending on the bands we play with, we'll go with songs only from DAM or only from LEVEE. It's nice because we can open up for Marshall Tucker with a set of DAM songs, play a week later as LEVEE opening for Metal Church, then the next week as just an acoustic duo opening for Eric Johnson. Personally (Mike here) Three Dog Night has been a huge inspiration.

MM: Is there one thing that you really want the people of Modesto to know about you? Is there anything that you really want to say?

D: We really appreciate the support that we've gotten from Modesto so far. It has been an uphill battle a lot of the way but that's slowly changed. Also, please try and support the local music scene. Thanks to everyone. Even the naysayers, cause you've only made us stronger and more determined.

MM: I’ll end this here and let your music speak for itself. I look forward to seeing you perform a few times in the next couple of months. Have some fun out there! Thank you for letting me have some of your valuable time.

Photo by Michael Guerrini

To learn more about DAM and find out where they will be playing next, check out their MySpace profile at:
http://www.myspace.com/michaelallsup

Click here to listen to “Sue Me� by DAM: http://tinyurl.com/2g83dh