Written by Sam Cohen
Some bands just don’t know when to quit, and some are just too good to quit. The Dandy Warhols fall under the second umbrella. It’s been 30 years since The Dandys released their debut LP, Dandys Rule OK, and although most of their contemporaries couldn’t make it past Y2K, Portland’s premier psychedelic rock group is still making new music.
Last year, they released their twelfth studio album, Rockmaker, with contributions from legends Debbie Harry and Slash. Next week, they’re back with a remix EP of the project, Rock Remaker, out May 16. The remixes take the Dandys to a bizarro blend of psychedelia and dance, only they could create.
I spoke with Dandys’ drummer Brent Deboer two days before their tour kicked off in Asbury Park to discuss the new EP, what comes with being a ‘90s band, solo projects, and what’s next for the Dandys.
Hey Brent, how are you doing?
Good! I just got to the studio where we’ve been recording the next Dandys album. I’m in Portland, so we fly to New York tomorrow for the tour.
The tour starts in Asbury Park; what is it like playing in a beach town compared to a city? What does the beach town vibe bring to a gig?
Looking back at every gig we’ve ever done in a beach town, they’re kind of the most fun, especially the ‘boutique’ mini festivals we’ve done on the beach in Portugal or Romania on the Black Sea.
I was in Asbury Park with one of my other bands, Immigrant Union, maybe eight years ago, and we met this guy who had a thrift store on the boardwalk. He invited us to do a gig in his shop; he moved all the clothing racks aside, and we played in the middle of the store. There weren’t a whole lot of people coming in to check it out, but it was a lot of fun.
I remember the owner claimed he had Bruce Springsteen’s bathrobe. Bruce had worn it at a hotel or something, and it was just on the rack, like, here’s a Black Sabbath t-shirt for 30 bucks, and then you flip and see Bruce Springsteen’s bathroom. You’re holding it like any other item–it’s just out in the open. It was priced at something like $16,000, and the owner was going, “try it on, try it on.” We had a great time in Asbury—we ran around under the pier, it was like being in a movie.
Immigrant Union wrote a song while we were setting up our gear in that thrift shop, and later on, ended up naming it “Asbury Park.” Oh, man, yes, I have very fond memories of my last trip to Asbury Park. I’m excited to get back there.
Does the first stop on the tour have a different approach, or is it just like every other gig?
I’d say the first show always brings a little more nerves and excitement since it sets the tone for the rest of the tour. You’re crossing your fingers that everything goes well and all the antique gear shows up and is gonna work. Then everything shows up, and there’s no problem. It always feels nice to get the first couple shows in the rear view mirror, because if they went well, you’re pretty stoked.
After Asbury, you’re bouncing up and down the East Coast, ending with four New York City dates. Even though you’re a West Coast guy, is it special coming back to the city?
Oh, for sure. It’s the most incredible city in the world and has everything you could ever want. Our lighting guy noticed that our hotel is right by Katz’s Delicatessen. He listed off about four or five other restaurants we need to check out. I’m very excited to get there and eat!
Food is always the best part of any trip.
(Laughs) Yes!
Next week, Rock Remaker is coming out. What about Rockmaker made it the Dandys’ album that deserved a remix project?
We’ve done remixes in the past, but with Rockmaker, it seemed like every song needed one. On that album, we wanted every song to start with a rock-sounding riff, which we don’t always do. The repetition of “riff rock” on Rockmaker is a bizarre psychedelic take on hard rock–I just love it. That project’s sounds and power just lend itself to remixing it into big, sweaty, nightclub bangers. They sound really, really cool. So I hope everyone checks it out.
One of the special aspects of Rockmaker was its use of features. The one that sticks out to me is Debbie Harry of Blondie. What was it like working with her?
We had this song that needed a woman’s voice on the chorus, and we’re all massive fans, of course, so she was in mind. We asked one of our friends, Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran), if he could put us in touch with her. She heard the tune and thought it was cool, so she sang it for us in her own studio. It would have been amazing if she were in our studio doing it, but she performed it so well. She’s so cool. I love that song so much.
Another one of the features was with Black Francis of Pixies. How did it feel to work with a ‘90s legend like yourself?
I spent all five years of college with his music blasting in our apartment. He’s one of my top 10 heroes, and I just love his lyrics, songs, voice, and his guitar playing, which is very underrated. It’s amazing how he has such a signature sound. You can pick his guitar right out of the mix. It was an incredible honor to have him on the record.
You guys have been around since ‘93, starting at a time of rebirth in rock n’ roll, in the post-Nirvana Nevermind haze. Since then, you’ve been around so many eras of rock n’ roll. Through all these eras, you’ve stayed together and grown as a band, so what is the approach when recording a new project? How do you stay true to the Dandys’ sound while pushing the envelope and trying to find something new and timely?
I don’t think there’s a whole lot of thought into trying to find something new or current. We literally treat each song as its own little puzzle. We’re not thinking about the other songs on the album when we’re doing it. If one song needs a banjo, it needs a banjo, and if a different song needs a big wall of distorted guitar, well then that’s what it’s going to get. Later on, we worry about putting the album together in a cohesive order.
Sometimes the song can go from what we thought was one thing to a whole other situation–a whole other vibe. We will strip all the drums, just mute them all, and the whole vibe shifts, and we’re like, oh, that’s even cooler, let’s go with it like that. The rest of the guys might think about what the current era sounds like, but I’m just hearing the song in front of us and wondering, what does it need? We just want to make a trippy record that we’ll listen to a lot.
The Dandys are unique because you’ve stuck together through the ’90s. What’s been the key to longevity in releasing a project every few years?
We just like each other a lot, and we’re a family, so, just like any family, you’re going to have some issues here and there, but we’re a very well-adjusted band. I think everyone, for the most part, is very considerate of one another’s space and ideas. I don’t have to be worried about how they’re going to take this—they’re very thoughtful and polite, and at the end of the day, what sucks is when somebody’s inconsiderate, mean, condescending—you don’t want to be around those people. If they were like that, I wouldn’t be here at this studio right now.
I imagine another reason it works is that you guys all have a side gig outside the band. How do you split the time between the Dandys and your personal projects?
I live in Australia, so my other two bands, Super American Eagle and Immigrant Union, mainly play in Australia. Recording and doing gigs with them takes up much of my time there. Being at home for two or three months without playing any rock shows would do my head in, so thank god for these bands so that I can function. Without those projects there, I would worry I’d forget how to play instruments.
You joined The Dandys five years into their tenure. How does that compare to Immigrant Union, which you founded?
I had probably seen The Dandys play 20 times when I was called on to help them out because they had a European tour booked with no drummer. They had a week to figure out who would fill in for their original drummer; fortunately, I was a huge fan, had heard their two albums, and knew the songs really well. I jumped straight into playing very large rooms, big festivals, and TV appearances, which was a whole world I had not experienced with my past bands.
With Immigrant Union, there was a lot of work involved to go from a bunch of people hanging out and playing music to having 11 completely finished original songs that are working and are cohesive. We played shows to almost nobody and slowly built up a fan base.
It’s nearly impossible to start a band at the level the Dandys were at when I joined. They already had 20 songs, and when you’re starting a band, you have zero—that’s the hardest part. If it were easy, everybody would be a songwriter. It’s a very difficult magic trick.
Now that you’ve lived in Australia for a while, how has the Melbourne music scene influenced your sound? Both in The Dandys and Immigrant Union?
There’s definitely a distinctive Australian sound, especially when it comes to rock bands like AC/DC. The scene there is very, very good, but at the same time, it’s a very small microcosm of the overall population. You feel like you know everybody in the Melbourne scene after only a few years of living there. Like-minded people who have similar tastes, interests, and values always seem to gravitate towards one another. But Melbourne is great, there are so many cool venues, and wonderful people. I just love it. I’m very fortunate to live there, it’s a lot of wide open space with plenty of elbow room.
As someone who lives in New Jersey, I’m very jealous. You mentioned you’re recording a new album with The Dandys. What can fans expect?
Last night, I listened to some of the rough mixes from this week and got a feel for what direction this might be going. I would say some of my favorite Dandy Warhols songs are “Orange,” “Green,” “Whipping Tree,” “Mohammed,” and “Good Morning.” Now imagine you took all those songs I just mentioned and mushed them into a little wrap with a Dandy Warhols’ songwriting style—that’s where this new project is headed.
It seems very “space frog,” hypnotic, and not super in your face. It’s feeling to me like the perfect late night, lying on the sofa, sort of wearing the sofa vibe. It’s sounding very psychedelic and swirling, with a lot of depth in the layers and the sounds. It’s going to be quite a trip.
The Dandy Warhols are currently touring the East Coast. Listen to “I Will Never Stop Loving You (A Place To Bury Strangers Remix)” off of Rock Remaker, coming May 16 on all streaming platforms.
