Meet Dear Darkness

It's not everyday that you hear a good two piece band, and it's even more rare that the two piece that catches your ear is made up of two females. Women who rock can be hard to find, but thanks to local groups like The Seraphine Collective we have recently discovered that bad ass female music is on the rise here in Detroit. They have literally been turning us on to new artists left and right. They construct compilations that feature a few bands and give you a sample of some of the music that they are into. So far I haven't heard something that I didn't enjoy.

My latest discovery is an awesome band called Dear Darkness. This two piece reminds me of two things, Sleater Kinney and David Bowie, both amazing artists in their own right. The ladies' latest EP is called I Only Came Here to Dance, it's pretty solid and can be heard on their bandcamp  here. You can also see the ladies perform live this Saturday, June 13th. They will performing at the UFO Factory alongside Olivia Neutron-John from Washington D.C. But, before you click over to hear them, or head out to see them play live, check out our interview with the ladies and fall a little in love with their personalities before you fall in love with their sound!

HID- What inspired you to create music?
Samantha- "The mystery of human existence."
Stacey- "Music is part of my identity. When I was five-years-old, the neighbors would ask my mom if I could come over and sing songs to them. When I was eighteen, I started playing guitar and songwriting because I wanted music to be what I did and how I lived. All of my fantasies are tied to music in some way."

HID-What are your biggest musical influences?
Samantha- "When we are working on a new song, sometimes I try to imagine what Ringo would do, or Bill Ward from Sabbath or John Bonham from Led Zeppelin. I don't try to play like them but that is where a lot of ideas come from. Other times I try to play a beat that I imagine someone could have fun dancing to, like disco music or dance-pop. When all else fails I think of Patty Schemel from Hole and I just hit the drums as hard as I possibly can."
Stacey- "I recently decided that the word "influences" maybe doesn't mean which artists or songs inspired our music,to me, but actually means, which artists and songs do I hear the influence of in our music, retrospectively: The Ramones, Black Sabbath, The Beatles, Suede, Pulp, Siouxie and the Banshees, The Kinks, PJ Harvey."

HID- Why did you name the band Dear Darkness?
Stacey- "'Dear Darkness' is a song on PJ Harvey's album, White Chalk. I wanted to honor PJ Harvey for inspiringme to treat music as an unpredictable experiment. Her guitar and vocals know no limits."

HID- Why did you decide to put a song on the Seraphine Collective’s Spring mix?
Samantha- "We admire the work of the Seraphine Collective and we were really honored to be invited to contribute to their spring mix."
Stacey- "The Seraphine Collective invited us to play one of their showcases and asked us to contribute a song to their mix. When we played their showcase, the enthusiasm and support from audience was invigorating. By the end of our set, I was screaming, because I was so fired-up. The Collective is doing great work in encouraging art in Detroit right now."

HID- Why a two piece?
Samantha- "We scare everyone away."
Stacey- "Sam and I are like flotsom and jetsam, like honey and pepper. We say "yes" to each other's ideas. We bothbelieve in making the music that happens, and not forcing a sound. We talk about adding a member someday, if we find the right person. I often remind Sam to remember that we need a member who can remember, because we both have poor memories."

HID- What made you decide to record you latest EP, I Only Came Here to Dance, with Jim Diamond at Ghetto Recorders?
Samantha- "Jim Diamond has a great reputation as a producer. We knew that he would be able to bring out the best in us."
Stacey- "Everybody in the Detroit music scene has heard of Jim Diamond and that's because he is very good at what he does. Honestly, I don't think we could have recorded our EP with anyone else, because I had a herniated disc in my back, at the time, and I was on painkillers. He made quick decisions about how to record us and about what would sound best. The session was exactly what we needed."

HID- What do you consider to be you’re must listen to track?
Samantha- "Everyone should listen to "Every Few Years I die" - I think a new style of dance will be invented by people trying to dance to that song."
Stacey- "'I Only Came Here To Dance", the title track, is my favorite track on the EP. The guitar riff is reminiscent of an eighties’ pop anthem, like The Psychedelic Furs' "Pretty in Pink." Samantha' s drums flash. In the song’s lyrics, rock ‘n’ roll is everything, a love, a need, and a dance party that must never stop."

HID- You played a show at The Henry Ford in honor of the Women who Rock Exhibit. What was your favorite piece of memorabilia in that exhibit?
Stacey- "My favorite piece was Joan Jett's glam, golden jumpsuit, from The Runaways days. It was strikingly small. Oh, I also liked Kim Gordan's "Eat Me" shirt! I had a picture of Sonic Youth on my bulletin board in my bedroom for forever, and in it she's wearing that shirt. Classic."

HID- Is there anything else that you would like our readers to know?
Samantha- "I would like to have a group of "dear darkness dancers" to perform live with us."
Stacey- "Join our fan club by "liking" our Facebook page and messaging us your mailing address. We will send you an envelope filled with random and interesting gifts. What might you get?"

With these two, you really don't know what your going to get and we absolutely love it!

~S