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- We’re happy to have some time today with acclaimed New York Funk and Soul band extraordinaire Dakota Jones; greetings and salutations, gang! Before we meander down the musically lit Q&A pathway, could you all say ‘hi’ and introduce yourselves to our ever-inquisitive readers?
Hi! I’m Tristan, I write the lyrics and sing our songs.
Hi! I’m Scott Jet Kramp, I’m the bassist for Dakota Jones.
Hi! Steve Ross, I’m the drummer for the band.
Hello! Eddy Marshall here, the guitarist and occasional rapper for the band.
- Major kudos and accolades for the upcoming June 2 release of your sophomore album HEARTBREAKERS SPACE CLUB! Tristan, how did this incredible new album come about? Is there a VH1-Behind the Music origin story you could share with us on its genesis?
Thank you! There’s not so much an origin story, it just sort of came to be. We wandered into the studio with no real preconceived notions about what we wanted to make. We just got in there and followed the music, and followed our guts, and let things fly freely, I think. No concerns about coloring outside of the lines, or sticking within genre boxes. Heartbreakers Space Club is a little journey through where we were at in those moments.
- Scott, who was the producer on HEARTBREAKERS SPACE CLUB and what did the collaboration between band and producer look like in the studio?
I was the producer for this album! This was our first project that was totally self-produced and now that we’ve done it this way I can’t imagine doing it any other way. At the end of the day, nobody knows our music better than us, so who better to produce it than us? We also built our own little studio and self-recorded everything. The combination of self-producing and having unlimited, free studio time gave us so much room to experiment and see what direction the songs would take us. The end of “Break it Down” is a perfect example of that. We had planned to end the song around the 2:27 mark, but then we just let the recording roll and ended up with that groovy outro. I don’t think we would’ve found that outro with a traditional producer or in a traditional studio.
- Steve, how is HEARTBREAKERS SPACE CLUB similar to the band’s first album? How is it different?
Heartbreakers Space Club and Black Light are like two sides of what Dakota Jones can do. Sometimes we lean into that more throwback-y old school vibe, like with our first album, and sometimes we just want to play and experiment and see what happens, like with HSC. I think what makes Heartbreakers Space Club stand apart, there were really no preconceived notions with it, we were just letting everything come to us and seeing what happened. But anytime it’s a Dakota Jones record, you’re going to get pure vibes, great writing, and a lot of soul.
- Eddy, what differentiates HEARTBREAKERS SPACE CLUB from anything else to be found on the 2023 music scene?
As a guitarist, I’m always fond of guitar driven music so it is nice to be part of a band that leans so heavily into more melodic instruments. The added keyboard also frees me up to be more riff based and that adds another layer that I don’t hear as often in mainstream music. Whatever happened to guitar riffs?!
- Tristan, what’s the story behind one of our very favorite tunes off of HEARTBREAKERS SPACE CLUB, Moon Song?
Scott played the instrumental for me in the studio, and I immediately started writing. That’s my favorite, when it really just flows out. It was instant, I didn’t even think about what I wanted to say, it appeared. And it felt so right. We lived with that track as the first half, with just an instrumental ending for a while. It wasn’t until a few months before the record was done that Scott asked my dad, Todd Jones, to write a poem to go over the end. He came over to record it one weekend, and the moment we heard it we all knew that was it.
- Scott, Dakota Jones is based out of the bustling and vibrant burg of Brooklyn, NY! How do those particular stomping grounds inform the sound of the band?
Brooklyn is so eclectic. You could go 5 blocks in any direction and be in a totally different neighborhood, with its own identity. Regardless of the neighborhood that you find yourself in in Brooklyn, you won’t be far from music (or pizza). Whether that’s from the ever-growing list of venues with awesome artists performing, the street BBQ’s blasting tunes from car speakers, or the corner stores that play music from all corners of the world. It’s everywhere if you listen. I think that the album reflects that; you can sway your hips to the waltz-y “Feel Something” and then turn a corner and find yourself staring down the gritty streets of “Dissent’N’Gin”.
- A question for all of you: Who inspires you musically?
(Scott) Stevie Wonder is my biggest musical inspiration. His musicianship, song writing ability and voice are unparalleled in my opinion. For this album though, I found myself incredibly inspired by the Ziggy Stardust album by David Bowie. All of the songs are beautifully written, but they all have a deliberate strangeness to them which I deeply admired.
(Tristan) As far as singers, anyone that just lets it rip. I like singers that sound unabashedly like themselves. Janis, Chaka, Stevie definitely. Folks that just let their natural vocals fly free, and don’t try to sound like anyone else. As far as writing, Frank Ocean’s gotta be my favorite contemporary songwriter.
(Eddy) These days I’ve been listening to pop queens almost exclusively. Chappel Roan, Lorde, Ariana Grande. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Jill Blutt. We split a bill with Jill last June and I think Jill is the only artist I have listened to on a weekly/daily basis ever since. Something about the grooves and the depth of the production that Jill brings really scratches my brain.
- Steve, can fans look forward to catching Dakota Jones on the touring/performing circuit in the coming weeks and months?
We’re doing a bunch of shows in and around NY to promote this record. We have a show at Brooklyn Bowl on 6/29, we’re playing Prescott Park Arts Festival on 7/5, then coming back to NY for a show at Berlin Under A on 9/22. In the meantime, we’ll be out playing in parks around NY to just share our music with as many people as possible. Hopefully a proper tour is in the near future, we’ll definitely keep you posted.
- Eddy, for new music lovers who are just now discovering the music of Dakota Jones, how would you describe the music which you make to them?
I’ve always described our music as soul rock. We have so much freedom in our shows and such a high level of musicianship that every play through is different and filled with delightful improvisatory accouterments. Moreover, the underlying power and vulnerability always comes to the fore thanks to Tristan’s vocal prowess.
- Tristan, what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving copious spins to HEARTBREAKERS SPACE CLUB?
As always with our music, I just want people to feel good. To feel heard, seen, understood. To feel deeply. I write from the heart and from the gut with the hope that it resonates with folks, that’s the best thing that I can ask for.
