Ever heard a band that sounds like a cross between Fugazi and Prince? That's how one fan described the wacky harmonics and funky, wild live show of Washington, DC rockers The Dismemberment Plan. The band is coming to Go! Studios on Thursday, Feb 4 in support of their stunning new release, Emergency & I. There aren't many opportunities to see art-punk you can actually dance to, but at a DP show, dancing (from both band and audience) is a sure thing. A Plan show is more than a concert-it's a spectacle, complete with flailing, rapping and occasional fire-breathing. Recess music editor Jonas Blank caught up with singer Travis Morrison to get the skinny on the exuberant, exceptional Dismemberment Plan.
Do you have any goals for this tour?
Umm, not really, no. Not to lose money. Obviously it's nice if more people come out to see us, but I don't really think about that. It's got the same charm it's always had for me-drive around the country, meet new friends, play music. I love it.
How would you describe your music?
I describe it as experimental pop music. Some kid described it once as a cross between Prince and Fugazi, and I like that. It's weird, because we're kind of an arty band, but there's still the element of four guys just plugging into their amps. I tell people we're into Steely Dan-because we are into dense songs-but we're loud, we rock.
If you come to a venue, and nobody's really heard of you, and nobody's really dancing or having a good time, what do you do to get them excited?
[chuckle] Flail. I just try to play a good show. I try to turn my energy toward having a good time myself. People like
Can you pick one show as your best show ever? Or maybe we should start with a worst show...
The worst ones [musically] aren't the soul-killing ones. The interesting ones are usually the soul-killing ones. We don't have nearly as many of those as we did back in the day. We played a show in a record store somewhere in Alabama with Sleater-Kinney to four people. The guy who owned the store had no speakers. There were no mic stands, because he couldn't grasp the concept that both singers in Sleater-Kinney also played instruments. These kinds of things always seem to happen in Alabama or Mississippi or one of those godforsaken southern states.
Our last show in December at the Black Cat [in Washington, DC] was a high watermark. I think there's a juncture in a band's career where you can fill a whole room with people who 'get it.' It was like, man, there can't be any more people like this in Washington. Who knows, maybe there's 50 more, I don't know.
How would you describe your audience? Geeks?
Yeah. It's a little They Might Be Giants-ish sometimes. We get a crowd that is very creatively challenging. It challenges me as a performer. We have a very alert, smart and open crew. We're not Modest Mouse. People don't come just to be seen. I think people do come to engage us. We have a really smart crowd, and one that wants to be there for the right reasons.
There's a rant on your web site [www.dismembermentplan.com] about the 'emo' label you've recently been given. What's up with emo? Does anybody
The original emo is Rites of Spring, late 80s hardcore, Fugazi, Jawbox-bands like that. Hardcore bands that heard Hüsker Dü. I try not to get wrapped up in genre names; they're more descriptive of where musicians are coming from than what they sound like. For some reason, there's been a prick of mainstream media interest in this emo thing, and I don't know why now. SPIN made Promise Ring's record one of their top 20 of the year, and they didn't even use the right album cover! Like, if they're such big Promise Ring fans, don't they even know what the album cover looks like? Don't they at least have one lying around to scan? You can't even say what's up with [emo] because it's bullshit. People get too uptight with all these genre names.
Where do your lyrics come from? On the song "Gyroscope," you say, "Happiness is such hard work." Is it hard to make you happy?
I think that line is true, maybe a little flippant. I'm not saying things I don't think. One challenge to writers is, say you're writing about abortion. It's easy to make a song saying "Operation Rescue sucks," because they do. As a writer, it's harder to do a song where you consider "Is there anything valid to what they're saying?" You have to respect the challenge to be sympathetic to everything. You can't leave your characters out in the cold. You have to sympathize with them, even if they're wrong.
If you could play one venue anywhere on earth and sell out, where would it be and why?
The Black Cat. It's home. It's my favorite club. It's cozy and warm. It sounds bad.
So you like being where you are?
Yes. I think so.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.