DAZGAK!
PHOTO CREDIT: DYLAN DUNCANN
1. Welcome to All the Cores And More! Would you please introduce yourself and what you do in the band?
Jackson: My name is Jackson Weed, I’m one of the guitarists and vocalists of DazGak!
Philly: My name is Philly Purcell and I play drums for DazGak!
2. Can you provide us with a little context about the band—where you’re from, how you met, when you formed, et cetera?
J: I’m from Clonakilty, County Cork.
P: I’m from Thurles, Tipperary. We started this band about five years ago and met in the Cork Academy of Music in the northside of Cork city.
J: But we really started releasing music and playing shows about four years ago. Enda [Boyle, bass] joined us about two years ago and Jake [O'Driscoll, guitar and vocals] has been with us for about a year. So this era of a 4-piece with two guitars and vocals has only been going about a year.
3. How would you describe your sound? Who are the band’s primary influences?
J: I think we’re a pretty straight up post-hardcore band. We have some emo tendencies and some math rock tendencies, but I think they just add to an overall sound that really fits to a post-hardcore label. In the past it has been difficult to label ourselves but for me this fits the best.
P: Personally, I would describe our sound as mathy post-hardcore. As a drummer I’m hugely inspired by bands like Mastodon and Belmont. I try to strike a balance between the chaotic and groovy energy that both ends of the spectrum have. Other bands that tickle my fancy would be The Ladies, Smoke Detector, The Garden, and Frank Zappa.
J: Some of my personal influences would be more emo leaning like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Pierce The Veil, Reuben, Alexisonfire. As for what I think we sound like as a band is Title Fight, Basement, At The Drive-In, and Alexisonfire.
4. Your EP Stimpy will be released by Floodlit Recordings on July 24th. How did that relationship come about?
J: Our relationship with Floodlit Recordings came about from our record getting mixed and mastered by Joe Clayton, who is the main man behind Floodlit. After the record was finished, I was asking Joe about labels and any advice he could help with getting on a label. He asked if we would like to release the record through Floodlit as well as a run of physicals. Joe has been incredibly helpful to us and definitely has made it so this release is a big step up from what we’ve done before.
P: We're also working with Max Buise at Smithsfoodgroup DIY, who will be handling the mainland European distribution.
5. What does the introduction of vocals add to the mix?
J: Vocals are something I’ve always wanted. It adds a whole layer of songwriting, depth, accessibility, and ease of being a part of a genre that we identify more with. Being an instrumental band was us working with our limitations and I wanted to see what I could do with just a guitar. I always looked and hoped we’d get a vocalist but it wasn’t happening, so at one show out of frustration I stepped up and just tried the harsh vocals and didn’t tell anybody I was going to do it. I’ve been doing them ever since, and eventually we got Jake on board and now we have two vocalists. It’s amazing and what I’ve always wanted for this band.
P: For me it adds a reason to create more instrumental dynamics to suit what is being said. Writing drums to match the mood of what is being sung is a very fun concept. Like for example, if the song is about something angry I can try tapping into that using volume, speed, stabs.
J: It’s so apparent at the shows how much response we get from the vocals. It adds this human layer and the crowd responds, gets rowdier, and enjoys the show more since we’ve been doing vocals.
P: Also knowing Jackson and what his lyrics are about especially mean a lot to me as a friend. It’s sick to see him have a way to express his opinion and experiences as honestly and as massively as he does!
6. What else can you tell us about the EP—contents, the writing and recording process, etc.?
J: This EP was a long process. Some of the songs we’ve had for years and we were gigging them as an instrumental 3-piece, and some we wrote just before recording them.
P: The recording process was indeed an uphill journey. We poured our guts into the process and learned a heck of a lot from it.
J: We evolved a lot as a band during the writing process of Stimpy, and it was a really exciting experience. With the songs we’ve had before writing the lyrics, figuring out our vocal limits, and adding a whole other guitar obviously changed some of the tracks into something completely new which was really cool to watch. I’m proud of the lyrics on this record. I’m screaming and it’s abrasive and jarring but I’m trying to be as vulnerable and personal as I can with the words, and it turned out well.
P: It's gonna be fun recording the next lot knowing what we know now.
7. What shows have you got lined up in support of the EP?
J: We’ve done a good few shows this month in July. We’ve just played Berlin and we have Belfast on the 18th, Dublin on the 19th, London on the 25th, and Bristol on the 26th.
8. What’s the scene like in Ireland? Who should we be paying attention to?
P: It’s flourishing with all sorts! My personal picks would include bands like Therapy Horse, Girlfriend, Silverglass and Glasseyed, just to name a few.
J: The scene in Ireland is a really mixed bag of talented bands. Because there’s so many bands in small areas we all have to interact with each other regardless of genre, which makes for a really varied and vibrant scene. I’m a big fan of Pretty LTD, Girlfriend, Haunted Images, Doubting, We Come in Pieces, Silverglass, Glasseyed, Animal Animal, Dog Bless, Kyral.
9. Is there anything you’d like to accomplish with the band that you haven’t yet?
J: There’s so much we’d like to accomplish and we’re so hungry to step up our touring game. The big one is festivals. We’ve been working hard to get on the circuit, mainly ArcTanGent, 2000 Trees, StrangeForms, Portals, Slam Dunk, Mutations, The Great Escape, just to name a few. Also just doing bigger and longer tours. Consistently playing two week to month-long tours to 300-500 cap rooms would be one our biggest goals that we want to accomplish and we’re ready for it.
P: I just want to play as many shows as I can until my arms fall off!
J: As for writing, we’ve polished our songwriting and found our literal voice a lot on this EP. The next goal is to refine it more, push harder and come out with a full length album.
10. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions! Any last words for the readers?
J: This record is equally aggressive and vulnerable, and I hope that comes across to someone listening in their headphones and to people who come see us at our shows.
P: We uh… we love you!
PHOTO CREDIT: FIN STEPHENSON