We got a chance to interview Dear Boy, who has a unique sound that features a mix of ambient and indie stylings that hooks listeners instantly. Dear Boy features Ben Grey - Lead Vocals/Guitar, Keith Cooper - Drums/Vocals, Austin Hayman - Guitar/Vocals, and Lucy Lawrence - Bass/Vocals and the group is from Los Angeles, California. You need to give this group a listen, like Rick Astley, they won't let you down. We've included a music video below so you can get a taste of their sound.
1. How did you come to pursue music and how long have you been at it? "I’m sure you’ve heard a bunch of musicians respond this way, but I kinda didn’t choose to pursue it! The interest in playing and writing music comes from compulsion… The viability of being able to pursue it as a career is a different thing. I didn’t think this is what I was going to be doing with my life… I’ve always been in bands… Ever since I was a little BG, but being paid real money to do it seemed like fantasy. Not until Dear Boy did it become real. Something about the chemistry of the 4 of us and what me make connects with people, and it’s the first time I’ve ever felt comfortable thinking of myself as a professional musician." 2. Could you walk us through your process of writing music? "I really wish I could… I honestly wish I could walk myself through it sometimes, but then again part of the appeal of making music is the inexplicable magic of it. It’s different every single time. You never know when you’re going to write the best song you’ve ever written and the idea that it could find you at any moment in your life is so exciting. The process of writing lyrics is always the same. It’s my favorite part, but it’s very stressful and very taxing. I truly love it, but I labor over each phrase and every article… It consumes me until everything is in its right place and as with anything of this nature, it’s very personal… So I live in the subject for a long time." 3. What artists have inspired you in your career? "As a kid, it was punk. It didn’t matter what wave either. Minor Threat to Buzzcocks to Stiff Little Fingers to Green Day to The Undertones. But when I started writing in my teenage years, it was The Cure, The Smiths, Kate Bush, Siouxsie, New Order, Chameleons, Bauhaus… And then in my early 20’s, Pulp & Creation Records. Brit-pop and especially Pulp changed my life… So w/ Dear Boy you can for sure breakdown the ingredients of what we’re all about. If Factory Records & Creation merged in 2018, you’d find us." 4. Do you have any favorite gear (guitars, amps, effects pedals, keyboards, etc.) that you love to use? If so, what’s the story on them? "We’re a Fender family first and foremost and Keith uses Masters of Maple drums. I’m less of a gear person than Austin and Keith are, but I know that I love my Fender equipment. For pedals I use a lot of Electro-Harmonix stuff and Boss of course. Austin could probably write you a dissertation on what he uses and why, but for me… It’s Fender and it’s because it’s the fucking best." 5. Can you describe the vibe at your live shows? Also, what do you enjoy most about a venue when you do a show? "I think what makes our shows so great is the connectivity. Dear Boy is a rare project in modern times because it became big organically. We’re not the product of Spotify playlists or because we have famous parents or we’re Instagram celebrities or anything. People find us and stay with us. So when you see us, what you’re seeing is the most pure audience / artist relationship that there is. We’re all here for this and for each other. It’s almost antiquated in a weird way. The thing that people ask us more than anything after they see us play is “how are you doing this?” As if it’s witchcraft or something… When the answer is so simple; We’re a real band. We’re real best friends. And we’re all building this together. Which I guess in 2018 is its own kind of witchcraft." 6. What is one thing that you want the public to know about your music? "We honestly don’t care what people think about it. We don’t care about trends or scenes or the internet. We love this band so much and we’ll continue working until we've said all there is to say with it." 7. Do you have any upcoming projects you would like fans to know about?
"Yes. Yes, indeed. We finished our new EP. As of like, two days ago.
We've been on tour w/ Rogue Wave for a lot of this year, so we would squeeze in recording during our time at home. And I say this with a grain of humility, but this is honestly my favorite thing that we've ever made. It's really exciting. We got to record in our favorite studio in LA, Boulevard Recording and have it mixed by Tony Hoffer...I mean, if you know who he is, then you know what that means.
And on top of that, we got to collaborate with so many of our talented friends; Jackson from Day Wave, Eleisha from Hazel English, Pat from Rogue Wave, Hunter Burgan, April Bender, Dash Hutton, Dave Cooley, Tom Harrison, Clay Blair, Ian Hultquist from Passion Pit, Marshall Vore, Devin Johnson, and I’m sure i’m forgetting some people. It’s just been such a beautiful time making this record and I cannot wait for you to hear it."
FMI on Dear Boy visit http://www.dearboyofficial.com/ or visit their social media (Insta, FB, Twitter) @dearboyofficial. As always, keep it tuned to Alt Revue for all things alt music.