Giving music back to the musicians.
FULCRUM
(Rock)
(Rock)
DAYFALL
(Rock)
(Rock)
Atlas Shrugged
(Rock)
(Rock)
Zumanity
(Rock)
(Rock)
Portobello
(Rock)
(Rock)
Hey Vampires
(Alternative)
(Alternative)
Friday Nov 21, 2008
Dayfall | Interview
Matt, lead singer and songwriter of Dayfall, first broke out onto the music scene as a solo artist playing locally in his adopted home town of Kent. In 2004, this English performer was persuaded by Lara, who eventually became Dayfall’s keyboardist, to turn his solo act into a full band. After a few reincarnations of the group with various combinations of drummers and bass players, Matt and Lara welcomed Dan (guitar), Ben (drums), and Jamie (bass) into their band making Dayfall, the alternative/indie rock sensation, as we see it today.
Matt is very much responsible for crafting Dayfall’s sound, which has been described as a cross between Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode. “I write the song, Lara then listens to it and we may at that stage make alterations,” says Matt as he explains the writing process. “Although input from the other band members has always been welcome, everyone seems happy with me writing the tunes. It saves arguments and means we can get a song from brain to live performance fairly quickly and smoothly.” Production is important to Matt who is a strong believer in a variety of music. It is important for Matt that they have a big enough bank of songs to appeal to any venue and that they can pick and choose songs during their performance depending on the mood of the crowd.
Dayfall has played a wide range of venues from small pubs to huge stages in front of thousands of people (like at The 45 Nations European Flag Day Festival in France where they represented England) and have enjoyed every one of them regardless of the size. Live performances are generally enjoyable because of the rush of adrenaline every live show injects into Dayfall’s veins.
These performances, however, can be tainted by cover band musicians who tend to harp on original music artists. “Some musicians in cover bands tend to ridicule the original artists,” Matt laments, “and don’t like it when we can get away with playing original songs in pubs. It’s a kind of misplaced snobbery.” Small circuit musicians with overweight egos can ruin an original independent band’s confidence, but Matt, Lara, Dan, Ben and Jamie don’t let the negative vibes affect their love for music and live performances.
Though their first experience with recording was stressful, Dayfall quickly adapted their own method of recording thereby turning the nerve-racking trial into a relaxed and comfortable event. Dayfall learned their lesson with recording studios; the first studio they went to wasn’t a proper studio and lacked responsible management. They cut their loses and now record exclusively from Matt and Lara’s lounge at their Kent home. Dayfall would eventually like to make it to a legitimate studio but in the mean time are content to do it at home where they remain fed and hydrated for optimal comfort and enjoyment.
The members of Dayfall pride themselves on creating a sound that has something for everyone. Matt attributes this to the band’s maturation and to his own development as a songwriter. He has seen his music grow “in a heavier way,” which at times has been influenced by other artists in the Kent music scene.
Matt and Lara have recently taken a hiatus from recording and playing live but are planning to reunite with Dayfall and get back into the swing of things with a few gigs and resume a regular performing schedule by the end of the year. Matt has a number of new songs that are eagerly waiting to be born and hopes to record these onto a new EP in the near future.
Heather Holditch
Senior Editor
Aralie.com