A few weeks back at Fletchers I had one of the most random and interesting interviews I've had in a while, with Outlook Record’s Daphne Loves Derby. From the "God Light" to the pet gerbil Bella, you're in for a treat with these Washington locals.
February 18th, I'm sitting in Daphne Loves Derby's chilly tour van, they tell me to flip a switch, on comes the “God Light" a regular light, with a white piece of paper cut in the shape of a cross flips on illuminating the van. It was going to be an interesting interview… Come to find out the meaning behind the light a little later. Turns out the boys have a deep connection with God.
The boys of DLD hail from the great city of.... Kent, Washington? What's it like there, you might ask? Well according to the boys it's "A big ghetto suburb..." I asked them if there are any bands we should listen up for from Kent. "Eff that. There is none in Kent." But immediately after that they spout off some bands in neighboring Seattle: Forgive Durden, This Providence (featured in last month’s issue!), and Jeremy Enigk, to name a few.
Continuing with the growing up theme, I asked the boys what they wanted to be when they grew up. Kenny said an astronaut; David a little more ambitiously decides on a Sperm Donor, Spencer goes with a School Bus Driver. (Stick to your day job, boys).
This conversation took place right after a pretty intense Beatles sing along. They just broke into song... don't ask. It was pretty cute. Speaking of cute, DLD has a pet. A pet gerbil named Bella. The interview was delayed a little to care for Bella. They said, “Every cute thing we do probably has something to do with Bella”—including their adorable Myspace blogs, if you ever get a chance to check them out.
Getting down to the actual music, I found out a few pretty cool things. Daphne Loves Derby is just a name. No deep meaning, no weird story--just a name. As opposed to the new album title "Good Night, Witness Light" which is from Robert Frost's "Beach."
After hearing this I had an inclination to ask a question that bands don't really like to answer... "Would You Consider You Music Emo?" After avoiding the question for a while with answers like "It reaches a little into [it]..." I finally got a pretty honest answer "Emo has a bad rap. Yes, we are gay..." I'll take that as a yes.
No, they're not really gay (hah). "Everyone has a girlfriend except me and Scott" Kenny says, then follows it up with "Scott's my girlfriend," Scott chimes in "Bella's my girlfriend"
Recently Daphne acquired a new member, David. "David's really weird. He gets naked a lot in a fun playful way [though]" David's response: "My girlfriend wouldn't like this" Nor would she like their collection of sex toys from gas stations, (Kenny used to collect cups and picture frames from yard sales back in his high school days...) I guess you've got to keep tour interesting somehow. Except on tour with House of Fools, we're things were never boring, "They were the funest and really cute!" DLD says.
Those type of things keep DLD interesting, Kenny says "It helps being young, more energy all the time instead of thinking 'Crap, I need kids'."
Daphne Loves Derby spent this past summer recording in Maryland. They say it was boring (Laurel is boring though). They played bingo a lot (haha). You might have seen them hanging around Recher at the Cute Is What We Aim For/Paramore show. You can catch the tour videos on YouTube, they're worth the watch.
So in conclusion, Daphne Loves Derby are a group of fun, random, down to Earth boys that have become a little more jaded since the first album. They have a love for God, their very supportive parents, gerbils, each other, sex toys, beaches, and Seattle bands AND you should pick up their new album "Good Night, Witness Light!" [CO]