Interview by hstisgod

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   Energetic melodies make up the circumference sound of Small Steps, Heavy Hooves. So surely, the personalities who created this LP are similarly appealing? My photographer (cool_chick_tx) and I traveled 30 miles north to the college town of Denton, TX. While Hailey's, a mid-sized tavern just off the Main St. downtown area, presented some interesting challenges, it's still a solid atmosphere for live shows. The first issue I faced when trying to sit down with P.J., Ian, and Mark was the lack of a green room, as its simply troubling to record in a bar with my old tape recorder styles. Not knowing the area well, I ditched the idea of taking 'em to a local coffee shop, and we sat outside in the parking lot. After 12 hours on the road direct from Albuquerque, New Mexico, lined up on the tailgate of timing -I'll explain later- the band brought clarity of a new breed in artist, Dear and The Headlights.

Equal Vision Records roster, DATH had already enjoyed success opening up for The Bravery and Idle Wild, but they were still a mystery from the midwest to me. So what's touring mean to a band, a few days prior to a Lollapalooza appearance? PJ Waxman (Guitar, Vocals) explained vehemently, “The only thing I care about touring is the show, if we can affect someone emotionally whether it be good or bad. If we can make someone hate us to death, or love us to death I think that's pretty awesome. Our music is doing something to them”. Ian Metzger (Lead Vocals, Guitar) says; “I had a guy come up to me and say, 'I heard your record and I hated it, and then I saw you guys live and I understand'. It's all perspective I guess”. For instance, Ian's favorite band to have toured with is Make Believe. “I mean its a different style of music. I'm pretty sure they don't even like our band. (Laughs) It's just cool to play with them, I've admired their music for so long”.

The Ataris; Bob Hoag, who has also produced artists such as The Bled, Versus The Mirror, Limbeck). “He knows his shit, he's a hilarious guy, and won't give up. He does everything, even if he hates your band, he'll do everything in his power to make it sound great. If he's gonna put his name on it, it's going to sound good”.                                                         

The Morning Kennedy Was Shot and Rueben's Accomplice were quick answers. When asked who they feared being compared to, IAN was strong in his answer. “I think frustratingly and with the rise of Emo, I think any band that has an acoustic guitar in it is automatically labeled Dashboard Confessional. A lot of people are like 'O the lyrics are emotional and theres an acoustic guitar, its gotta be Emo”. He traced his thought and restated... “Its not offensive to me if someone were to compare, but i think the acoustic guitar is the only comparison”. Speaking of the ugly word Emo, I let the band know its been a topic of debate on the site, and they wanted nothing to do with it. “It doesn't mean anything, you can call us whatever you want. People always try to find a way to classify what they're listening to”.

So, in the end, just as the tape recorder hit stop, and these guys were attempting to sit up off my trucks tailgate, the recalled -but lazily not fixed- wires broke. Though, none of us were sure what this meant, it surely meant the interview was over, and just in time to head inside. Later on that evening, after some mid-grade opening acts Demigs, Dear and The Headlights harbored a moody and powerful sound, leaving me mistified in the shine of THEIR bright lights, refreshed there may be more artists out there like these guys, just wanting to put on a good show and entertain some onlookers.

Brian Rutherford