A moment with Davey Havok on his new band "Dreamcar", growing uppunk and AFI
Publication | Gross Magazine
Every generation has its time, it’s inevitable quest for social relevance is anoversaturated and in some ways, an antiquated phenomenon that many, includingmyself, are guilty of. Though countless attempts lay within the confines of artisticexpression, few are willing to spill blood for the cause, and yet the idea of musicaltranquility comes in harmonious waves and although it may seem at times systematic,its relevance is forever cemented within the consistency and influence of soundgenerated by yesteryear’s leading composers. For musicians like AFI’s lead vocalist,Davey Havok, the continuance, and innocence of self-discovery are an ongoing journeythat allows a disciplined musician, such as himself, to almost turn back time to whatonce struck a chord with him as a teenager. Now to his surprise, those same influencesparticularly of the eighties musical genre, DreamCar’s sound is hosting the rebirth of aburgeoning vibration of how it's supposed to be done, which Davey and the rest of theband are effortlessly annexing. The neon sound that is.
“Dreamcar”, came about almost the same way Davey describes his introduction intopunk and hardcore. The same elements that drove him to pursue a career in music as ateenager/frontman, in a band that would ultimately lead to stratospheric heights andbecome internationally recognizable, was also the same approach for “DreamCar's”sound, which rest in likeness with his past, and his love for music as an adolescent.With a heavy schedule of touring with Dreamcar and headlining shows in OrangeCounty to making an appearance at Coachella, then transplanting to England with AFI,the veteran punk and hardcore artist took a moment with me to converse. Davey and Imanaged to speak and talk about music, life, vocal recovery, musical influences, andthe gathering of the new wave vigor quadrant band, Dreamcar, which consists of NoDoubt's bassist, Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont, and Adrian Young.
Davey - “Hi William How are you, I'm restraining from singing”, “William it was nothingto you” song by, (The Smiths) laughs.
William -To start, how has the touring circuit been, Coachella, etc., and did you seeanyone that stuck out?
Davey- It’s been great we're very busy and Coachella was really fun, I was happy tohave the opportunity to play with a band nobody knows.
William- Who were your favs btw, during that whole experience.
Davey- My whole family that I stayed with at “The Madison across the street which iswhere we stay every Coachella. We all went down and saw “New Order” and it was sofun just a dance party. I got to see Lorde and she was so genuine and so classy, Iwatched a bit of Hans Zimmer, and Tove Love.
William -This may seem like a three or four-part question, and please forgive me if Ijump around, but I've been listening and observing your music for a long time and I'vewatched your voice grow over the years, and have witnessed your voice evolve intosomething that has become individually recognizable and almost operatic. In your ownwords, what has attributed to that and what were some of your influences.
Davey - Laughs
William-Laughs
Davey- (Laughs) Thank you so much. The two most impactful things on that growthwere simply the emotional growth and experience and personal growth as well as themusic that influenced me and to detail that, I grew up loving so many types of differentmusic, but when AFI started because we wanted to be a hardcore band, we looked toall those DIY bands in D.C. Essentially what we were focusing on, as fifteen-year-oldboys, was hardcore, and that’s what we wanted to play and that’s what we wanted tobe. So, before I ever listened to BLACK FLAG and MINOR THREAT, I found “The Cure”,Duran Duran, and Devo, which was my upbringing as well as musical theater alongwith AC/DC as the first record I purchased in my youth. There are elements from mypast that weren't informed what was going on with the inception or exception of AFIwhen we were teenagers. As we grew up, and as I grew and as I liked to expressmyself further, I found that more nuances and better expression could be achievedthrough singing, rather than screaming, and It kind of went from there. So when you'reseeing the growth within the context of AFI, or outside of AFI, whether it be “BlackAudio” or XTRMST or Dreamcar or St. Jimmy, it's also influenced by all those parts ofmy musical upbringing that are expressed more vocally than before in my musical past.When asked about Davey’s musical training and how one maintains the insightful vocalaspects as he does, he simply replied, “I train a lot and good vocal help is very difficultto find, like keeping your vocal cords from deteriorating. I most recently saw FrankBlack from “The Pixies” just a couple of nights previous and all I could think to myselfwas, “can you please give me vocal lessons, can you please give me lessons”!!!..(Laughs)
William - How did Dreamcar come about, can you give me some insight as to how thisproject was birthed?
Davey - Tony approached me and at that point, the both of us had been seeing a lot ofeach other, more frequently than in the past. I started seeing Tony in vegan places, andhe informed me that he and the guys, (No Doubt) was working on music and theywanted to know if I would consider singing in a band with them. We met and talked,and I said, “I’m honored to be considered and I’d love to hear the music. Havok spoketo me about the songs and the nostalgia surrounding the first four tracks that he heardwhich were,” The Assailant”, “After I confess”, “Slip on the Moon”, and “Kill for Candy”.The lyrics that you hear are identical to what I wrote those first two nights afterreceiving the songs because I was so inspired, I just went straight into it.
William - Many of your tracks have that nostalgic feel, and the way I interpreted it,particularly the track “All of the dead Girls “, mirrored those striking key eighties noteswe've come to love. Can you paraphrase some of the similarities between yourinfluences early on in relation to Dreamcar?
Davey- When I first heard those first four songs, it touched on the early days of theeighties aspect I heard. I heard the tracks of Duran Duran, TalkTalk, and New Order andthat's what drove me immediately. I heard those little elements in there that weren’tintentionally coming from them, I know that. Each song that we wrote informed thenext and as we built music we kind of saw who we were as a band and it justorganically happened. With this project, there are ways I get to write and sing which Ihaven't before.
William - What’s your connection to The Bay area, (San Francisco)
Davey - It's my home, and it’s my family. I'm not living there anymore and I haven't fora while, but I'm often living there, and I'm often there living at my friend’s in Oakland,(laughs) But it's still very much my home.
William - Are there any venues that are still here in the bay that you like to play at, eitherin Oakland or San Francisco?Davey - I was so thrilled to play at The Fox Theater, which was not a venue that I grewup attending shows in because they recently reopened it and refurbished it. I was veryexcited to play there with AFI for the first time, then to be able to play the “Music Hallwith Dreamcar, that's one of my favorite venues. I've seen so many great shows theresince I was very young. Of course, Gilman street in Berkeley, I'll shop on Gilman street,when Jawbreaker does a secret show, well if I can get In. (Laughs)