Taking time out just before the Christmas Holiday period, Sebastian Davin, the piano player and vocalist of Dropping Daylight regaled Room Thirteen with tales of underage drinking, romantic films and Latin origins.
R13: You have recorded a Christmas track for download, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." What would give the band a merry little Christmas?
SD:Ha ha ha...probably an awesome tour for the new year. With a new record coming out next year we're looking for the right opportunity to get it and show everybody what we can do...either that or a vacation to some tropical place. We love the frilly drinks.
R13: Your guitarist, Seth, has been playing live with the band since the age of 14. Are there any humorous under-age drinking tales or backstage shenanigans?
SD:There are probably more than we can count on hands, feet, and otherwise. Probably one of the more embarrassing moments was when our then-new manager put us up in LA in a really nice hotel (I guess he had some kind of arrangement with them), Seth and a couple of us got pretty drunk and decided it would be funny to throw toilet paper across the courtyard into other people's rooms...and then we threw beer bottles in the pool. I don't think it was easy to explain that one.
R13: Sebastian, do you feel that the current crop of piano-playing chart acts is good or bad for getting people into playing the instrument?
SD:I think its great! The truth is a lot of pianists turn their nose up at pop pianists who might not be as "accomplished"...but the truth is the public identifies well with simple piano melodies and chords. No one is going to sit down and be Ben Folds or Billy Joel right off the bat...so its cool that people looking to play piano have a large variety of heroes to look up to.
R13: The band was previously called Sue Generis, a take on the Latin Sui Generis, which roughly meant 'of its own kind', does the band believe they are in a genre of their own?
SD:We think we are fairly different from your average rock band...and when we started the band we probably thought we were our own genre of music...but now I think we're just a rock band. An interesting one, with good songs I think...but just a rock band. With the name change I think we allowed ourselves to drop all the things about our band we didn't like, and move forward with the things we loved.
R13: Was there ever a Sue Generis?
SD:I don't even think I know anyone named Sue.
R13: What is your favourite song to play live?
SD:We play a track called "Til you feel something"...and live its probably the closest thing to a dance song that we have. Its my favourite because no matter what crowd we're playing for, they always respond to that song.
R13: What UK acts have been an influence on the act?
SD:I know when we were in high school we listened to Blur, Oasis, and Bush...all great songwriting and all great bands. I guess I would have to say the drama and the sometimes epic scale of our music comes from Queen. That Feddie Mercury sure could sing.
R13: Are there any plans for Dropping Daylight to tour Europe or the UK?
SD:There BETTER be! I've been looking for an excuse to get out and see the UK for years! I'm sure that once the record is released and doing well in the states we'll make a break for Europe.
R13: How much of an influence was the education at the Berklee College of Music?
SD:A little bit of an influence but not as much as you'd think. Berklee was excellent for improving your skills on an instrument, but not fantastic at telling you how to apply your talents in real life. Everything we learned about our band we had to learn ourselves.
R13: Who is the favourite band you have supported in the past few years?
SD:We've played with a ton of great bands this year so its hard to say...but I know that we all LOVED playing with Motion City Soundtrack. A couple of those guys are from the same city as us (Minneapolis) and they put on a really great show. Their fans are welcoming too.
R13: The band has played on the Warped Tour and at SXSW, was there any main highlight from these events?
SD:SXSW is usually not a great place for bands to make FANS because there are nothing but business people there. But when we played there we played to a packed house of suits and made fans of them all. That was a great feeling. Warped Tour was fantastic, and the hometown show on Warped was a highlight...but that tour is so exhausting that its hard to have fond memories of it.
R13: What are the bands plans for next year?
SD:Well Rob is going to study medicine and Jake will go for a pilot license...no wait...I think we're just gonna keep playing music. New CD coming out early in the year and we're gonna spend all year making sure everyone in the world hears it.
R13: Do you have any Holiday messages for the Room Thirteen readers?
SD:Drink a glass of wine for us this Holiday season and watch Love Actually. That movie rules.
And with thoughts of Keira Knightley coming to the fore, the interview was wrapped up with the band looking forward to a relaxing break before another big year beckons for them.