FEATURE: Interview With Dan Smith Of The Dear & Departed

Marrying his two loves, music and tattoo artistry, kiwi Dan Smith’s life is in balance. His LA based band, The Dear & Departed have just released their new EP ‘Chapters’ in the build up to the new album out in March next year.

I had a chat with Dan in the Rip It Up office, just after his time working at the Tattoo Arts festival.

How did the Tattoo Arts Fest Go?

It was amazing. I’ve travelled a lot and I’ve lived in the states for about eight years so I’ve gone to a lot of other conventions. Obviously New Plymouth is a smaller town, but man, it matched, if not bettered a lot of conventions in the states and a lot of the conventions I’ve been to around the world too. To have that in my old back yard is such a great thing for New Zealand. There’s a big circuit of conventions that a lot of artists travel to so to have New Zealand be one of the stops on the map, it’s pretty cool.

I read that you consider yourself a kiwi although you live in the states.

Well I was born in England and I lived there until I was six, and then moved here. So I was here from the age of six to 2001 basically so I definitely consider myself a kiwi above anything else and obviously growing up here is a unique way and I think that sticks with you no matter where you are.

How did you form The Dear & Departed?

I’ve always played in bands. I lived in Australia for a couple of years and played music there. It was just kind of like the next step y’know, move to America and (it sounds cheesy but) make a go of it and follow your dreams without looking back. Kind of a naïve decision but it was honest none the less. The cool thing is that I’ve always had tattooing to help keep it afloat and make sure that everybody’s good. When we moved to America, it was a way bigger decision than we ever thought it would be. Tattooing and music have always complemented each other for me. I’ve never really had a plan, just more drifting and it’s always worked out for the best.

Was it fun recording your new EP Chapters?

The band has been together for about three and a half years and we put out a record as soon as we got together. It usually takes a little while to find your feet in a band especially if there are a couple of members changing. So this line up that we have now for the EP is, in my opinion, so solid. I think that our guitarist, Courtney [Miner] has completely rejuvenated the band. He provides a side of it that you’ve never had before and it’s really exciting. He’s one of those crazy guys that sits in his room all day and writes amazing songs. I’m pretty busy with tattooing so to know that you have someone dedicated that writes great songs is a really cool thing.

What other bands inspire your sound?

That’s a good question. Me and Darren our guitarist, he’s from Liverpool and he moved to America at a pretty similar age to me when I moved here. We have a huge English upbringing with music. My favourite bands are all the old bands from Manchester, all the factory records bands y’know. A lot of new wave and kind of Goth bands from the mid to late 80s. The other three guys in the band, well two of them are from Philadelphia, and the difference between east and west coast in the states is huge so to have a guy from Liverpool and a guy from New Zealand, it’s just such a crazy mix. But we all have a huge love of indie and Britpop. New Zealand has a lot of that too, growing up here; it’s a very kind of English sound which is awesome.

I think there are a lot of Dunedin bands that have that kind of sound.

Yeah, and I grew up with all of those kind of Flying Nun bands and I feel really lucky that I was growing up here, experiencing those kinds of bands, listening to bFM all day. It was a really great musical education.

Did you design the cover art for your new EP?

I’ve always kind of wanted to but I usually end up letting someone else do it and I won’t get involved because, I fell like if someone’s going to design it then they need to put their everything in to it. Just like someone would come to me with a tattoo idea and I would want that freedom too. So for the most part I just point them down a road.

What are your future plans?

Basically we just finished the record. We definitely want to play some local show around LA. Now that the EP is available here, we definitely want to set something up. When I get back I’m kind of finding out what’s happening with the next season of LA Ink. Which sometimes makes things a little difficult but it does compliment the band. There have been a couple of episodes where the cameras come out and film the band so it’s pretty cool.

The next record will be out in sort of March or April. So even if we do end up filming, it seems like the perfect time to hit the road after March and get everywhere.

Interview by David Apple.