Well it’s not every day our interviewer gets to talk to the singer of his favourite band. That day had finally come so hands down this was the best day ever (pun intended) the singer is Chris Carrabba and the band is Dashboard Confessional. We chat to Chris about new music he is working on and his 2017 Australian tour.

SCENEzine
Firstly how was your American summer?

Chris Carraba
We had such a blast we took out three bands Social Animals, The Maine who I love so much and we took out our friends The All American Rejects. We spent our summer bouncing around the country playing for people it was fantastic a great summer. I don’t want it to end so it’s not that’s why we are coming to Australia.

SCENEzine
Was it cool touring with The All American Rejects being that your kind of kindred spirits in the fact that you both still have loyal fans but haven’t released an album in some time?

Chris Carraba
Yeah I think we spent a lot of time being appreciative of that. It is unusual to just keep touring and not have a record out. There’s a point where you say to yourself wow this is special. It’s not necessarily about the music we are going to make or the music we made its about the thing we are doing tonight now. That’s what people are coming to see. It’s a very unique thing and an usual time for us to be in between records but still be out there playing. We bring it whether we have something to sell or not.

SCENEzine
Since your currently working on the new Dashboard Confessional album when your writing do you write for yourself or for the purpose of connecting to the audience?

Chris Carraba
I’ve got to be honest with you Christian I can’t think of the end user. I can’t think of the audience as I’m writing a song or it never gets written. I don’t even know if I write it for me it’s like the song itself is a thing and I’m just here to service it. Kind of shepherd it into the world the best way that I can. Best case scenario for songwriting for me is things start happening and I do my best to get out of the way. Of course I hope people connect with it I hold high hopes people connect with the songs. I’m trying not to sound like a hippy here but it’s a really magical thing to think about the fact that something you wrote in your basement or bedroom or at a park bench becomes something that on occasion is extremely meaningful to somebody that you may only hope to meet but may never even meet. It’s kind of a glorious thing.

SCENEzine
Does timing come in to play is it a case of how should Dashboard Confessional sound in 2017 or 2018?

Chris Carraba
I do think that is a directive not how should it sound but how does it sound. Like what do we sound like in 2017 or 2018. I don’t know what we should sound like. I don’t know what we are supposed to sound like. I know what we do sound like so what’s the best version of that. So let’s do that lets do the best version. I think the best version is when you stumble upon that thing that I was first connected to when I made my first record, second record, third record.

So what if I had some of these things that I’ve learned since at my disposal. If I was able to express myself even better than I was able to before because I’ve spent time learning. But then you run into that thing where you don’t want to be too good at this. Then where’s the mystery. So a lot of it is knowing which songs to throw away to be honest with you. You have to throw them away you have to get rid of them it’s a weird thing especially when they are good it’s really hard when they are great but they are simply not what they should be. That’s going to be defined differently by everyone obviously

SCENEzine
With the music industry changing would you ever think of doing a pledge music style release?

Chris Carrabba
I’ve thought about that so much and I have mixed feelings. I kind of look at it like we finace our own records because our fans buy our t-shirts. You buy a ticket to the show that gets us there that gets the whole machine rolling. We can buy some plane tickets and be there. When fans buy t-shirts that money goes into the next record we make for them. Would we ever do a pledge record well we might do it. Whatever keeps us independent in the time where we are making the record is my objective. Signing to a label later and taking their input these are all great things.

But the audiences dedication and their choice to buy a t-shirt over and above the ticket they bought that enables us our independence so we can make a record now that is representative of who we truly are without getting pushed around by bean counters. Most of the labels we’ve worked with have been just absolutely incredible we’ve been really lucky. But I always once I get feedback from them I think I start trying to please them. I don’t think I should be I think I should be just making this music and later altering it if they say did you ever think about that as the chorus. Sure I’ll give that a try but if they get involved too soon things get a little cloudy. So I don’t know if I’d ever do a pledge music record I might but I haven’t needed to yet.

SCENEzine
Is there any news on if Dashboard albums will ever be re-released on vinyl because your stuff is quite hard to find?

Chris Carrabba
Yes it is isn’t it. Some of the records I own and some of the records I don’t own another record label owns. I can’t speak for how they are going to do it but the ones I own I plan to release on vinyl.

SCENEzine
Do you have a huge collection of vinyl personally?

Chris Carrabba
Yeah laughably huge. This isn’t the first time it’s been in vogue post CDs and post MP3’s. There was a period when with earlier bands that I was in you didn’t make anything but vinyl because it was the only thing you could afford. So I have an extensive record collection and lots of my own records on vinyl from before I was in this band. So it’s funny to think that so few of my albums have come out in anything other than limited pressing with Dashboard when I had only put out vinyl with some of my other bands.

SCENEzine
I was lucky enough to see you at Riot Fest Chicago in 2014. That was an amazing gig to see. Did that help spark the idea that Dashboard had more to offer?

Chris Carrabba
Christian you just made my day buddy. You were there at the moment where we decided that we were a band again. That show gave us back everything we didn’t know we had stepped away from. I’ll never forget the sea of people that day. We played at the same time as two other really big bands and I assumed we would play to a small crowd. I was wrong, it was incredible, what an experience.

SCENEzine
In the early days of Dashboard when you were starting to gain popularity did you have any idea you had a fan base in Australia?

Chris Carrabba
None, no idea. I thought it was impossible. It never occurred to me even though I understand music is global and sharing music is a global thing. For the most part if I hadn’t gone there and convinced people to listen to me how would they be convinced. It was amazing to find out that people were sharing the music the way they were with each other and doing that convincing on our behalf.

SCENEzine
Would you say your first visit to Australia was your favourite of the time you played Soundwave?

Chris Carrabba
Soundwave was incredible but the first time was, the first. With our career in the States I’d have to go to a city like Chicago five times before anybody paid attention. But the first time I came to Australia the audience were willing participants and eager, it was so incredible. That never happened to me before I had to win over cities by hammering it in and hoping and believing if I kept going back people would pay attention. Australia is the only place where we’ve ever gone where the audience well I don’t know how they spread the word the way they did. It was a really incredible thing.

SCENEzine
You still look like your in your early 20’s have you secretly found the fountain of youth?

Chris Carrabba
Yeah I think I have. I really do. Everyone jokes that I don’t age. I look in the mirror I don’t see that kid anymore though. But I do know I look young for my age and I think that’s true of some of my friends to that do what they love. Whether they do it for a living or not they haven’t stopped doing what they love. Those of my friends that have had life get complicated and the thing that they really loved they stopped doing they seem to have aged at a different rate. I think that might be it that might be the fountain of youth. Also I run a lot.

SCENEzine
When your not running or playing music how do you relax? Do watch sports? Are you a Game of Thrones fan?

Chris Carrabba
Oh yeah I’m both (laughs).I like a lot of amazing modern television from Game of Thrones to Twin Peaks return series. Ozark on Netflix is like the new Breaking Bad for me that high of a quality. I’m a massive sports fan which I know is not common for musicians or artists that it’s not cool to do (laughs) I think. To be a big football fan and basketball fan but I am. I write a lot I read a lot and write a lot. When I say write a lot I mean writing without purpose not songwriting. Also I play guitar all day I love the guitar it is the most fascinating thing to me. I love the way it sounds and feels. I love the mystery of the thing. I love that there is no point that anyone will ever master their instrument. I love that.

SCENEzine
Your songs have the ability to literally make grown men cry. Have other people’s songs impacted you that hard as well?

Chris Carrabba
Of course. I mean I’ve got two ears and a heart don’t I. The Cure for me has been a massive part of my musical experience just as a fan. Jawbreaker and Descendents those bands made me feel something so strongly. They all have that in common. Joy Divison, Townes Van Zandt a songwriter from America that never really got his due though some huge acts like Willie Nelson cover his songs. That guy can move me to tears without a doubt. But he can also move me to laugh. The bands I love the most have some levity as well.

SCENEzine
Do you think why “Screaming Infedelities” became so popular is the fact people could relate to the lyrics?

Chris Carrabba
Well if your really lucky and your not trying you tap into some universal language of some kind. It’s very simple it’s just applicable to your life and the situation your thinking about that you write. It’s the smaller details that people connect with its not the big grand overtures. The little details make up the matter of life and are underused in songwriting. I really enjoy exploring them.

 

 
SCENEzine
People will often attribute your music to helping them through hard times. Do you have any advice for people who might be battling depression?

Chris Carrabba
Yeah I would say music is a great potent, special, powerful elixir for when your feeling dark. But it should not be your only means out of that darkness. So while I find it incredible to know that some of my fans attribute my music for getting them through very hard things I do think it’s important to seek help when you need it. There should be no shame in that. As many of my songs are happy as are sad that’s the way people that struggle with depression are. They are often happy but they are often sad. We would all be better off if there was no stigma attached to needing help and asking for it.

SCENEzine
I’m curious did “Hands Down” come together quickly in the writing process?

Chris Carrabba
It came within a sitting. I don’t know how long that was I cant tell the difference between five minutes and two hours when I sit down with a guitar. I sat down with no song and got up with a completed song there it was.

SCENEzine
Lastly have you decided what kind of set list you’ll do for Australia?

Chris Carrabba
For the most part we know the batch of songs that we would really love to play there. That would be leaning very heavily on songs we know the audience has embraced and personalised somehow. We don’t really do a set list we put out whatever we did last night as a road map basically then we listen to what people call out for.

(Interview by Christian Ross)