**Interview with lead singer Matt Dahan
Where did the band name come from?
I’ll never forget the moment that it came about. Greg and I were riding the train into Boston after a night in our hometown of Hingham, MA. At the time, we were called ‘Faster Faster,’ but we discovered that the name had already been taken by a techno artist in Northern California. We had been tossing replacement names around for weeks, mostly joke ones like ‘Tile’ and ‘Adult Superstore’. Greg told me that he was listening to Cannonball Adderley, a sax player during the 50s and 60s, and he had a record named ‘Radio Nights.’ He suggested we add a ‘the’ and a ‘k’ to the mix, and become The Radio Knights. I called up the rest of the band immediately to tell them Greg’s epiphany, and the rest is history!
How did the band come together?
Greg and I have been playing music together for close to ten years, since our days in grade school jazz band. We had another band before the Knights, and we made a pact way back when that we’d always rock together. Around the time our old band disbanded, we headed off to school at Berklee College of Music and didn’t miss a beat. Nicholai, our guitarist, was one of the first people that I met at school, in the practice rooms underneath our dorms. To round things out, Brian was in my first semester english class!
How long has the band actually been together?
We started playing out in late 2005, and we’ve been going at it ever since.
What sets The Radio Knights apart from other bands out there? Any influences that you think come through in your music?
A lot of people tend to pigeonhole us… they hear that we play pop music and have a pianist who sings lead, and instantly think Elton John and Billy Joel. Yes, the piano is the center of many of our songs, but we each bring our own influences into their performances. When I first started writing, I listened to a lot of U2, Third Eye Blind and Goo Goo Dolls. Nicholai is an avid Dave Matthews fan, Greg loves 60s-70s rock and roll and Brian loves Dream Theater! It sounds like it woudn’t work out at the drawing board, but each of our favorite artists are held under the umbrella of ‘pop’ music, and the result is what I like to call ‘mini-epics.’ Our influences shine through, but they create something totally different when they run together in our songs.
The Radio Knights
You released your debut EP, “Happen”, this past March. How does it feel to have it out there?
It feels amazing. ‘Happen’ took over a year to record and produce, even though it’s only an EP! It took countless rehearsals, late night studio tracking, mixing sessions and pizza runs to turn it into something we could hold, but we couldn’t be happier with the result.
Where can fans buy this EP?
It’s available online at iTunes and CD Baby, and countless other online media outlets. We also always have copies at shows, naturally!
Who writes the lyrics for the band? Are they based on personal experiences?
Most of the songs are my own, and I write both the music and lyrics. Songwriting is my outlet, my voice and my loudest tounge, and I always try to draw upon things that I know and have experienced when writing a new composition. As most songwriters are, I am fascinated by love and it’s many shades, therefore most of my material expounds on the varieties of it one can feel in their lives. I have always said that my songs are 75% true, so I can detach myself from it enough to perform it and convey the emotions effectively without getting caught up in it… even though it’s fun to cross the line every once in a while.
You are about to start a small tour down the East Coast. How will this be different from previous shows you’ve played? Are tensions high?
I can imagine that the tour will be unlike anything we’ve ever done before, just based on how we usually play just three or four shows a month. All of us get a high from performing – it’s what we do, it’s what drew us into this lifestyle in the first place – and to imagine getting that four, five, six nights in a row… oh boy, things are gonna to take place!
You have videos you post on YouTube called “vlogs”, which pretty much capture the essence of the band as a whole and show your journey together as a band. Can you tell me a little bit more about them? Whose idea was it to start these “vlogs”?
Around a year ago, we were trying to think of ways to branch out to our fans so they can get a better feel for what the Knights are all about. I had always loved filming and editing, in High School I would shoot videos with my friend for our school’s weekly broadcasts. It was only natural for me to pick up the camera again! It started out just Greg and I getting the jist of ‘vlogging,’ but now anything can happen in a Radio Knights vlog!
Check out The Radio Knigts Vlogs on YouTube
Who would be the ultimate band to play with for you?
For me personally, to play with U2 would be the ultimate life experience for me. They have inspired me not only in music, but in life, and to share a stage with them would be a dream come true.
What is your ultimate goal as a band?
To move people as much as we are able to make them move.
Describe your music in two words?
BUCKLE UP.
What are your thoughts on the music industry as a whole?
We’re excited! This is the most tumultuous and groundbreaking era this industry has ever known, and to be taking part - feeling the fire with all of our friends, families and fellow bands – it’s awesome. Some people say that it’s spiraling out of control, but I beg to differ. What we’re seeing now is a music revolution: there are thousands of new avenues, opportunities and areas to get into. It’s a brave new world, but it’s always going to be worth exploring.
What’s next for The Radio Knights?
After the tour, we’ll get right back to work playing more shows around New England (most likely planning another tour, as well!). We are always willing to play for new faces in new places, and we will be combing the coast looking for them. We also have a lot of new songs in tow, and would love to try them out live and see where our next studio venture will take us!
Do you have any last words?
Send your signal out!
Catch The Radio Knights on tour!:
August 15th, 2008: Ground Zero in Suncook, NH
August 20th, 2008: TT The Bears in Cambridge, MA
April 3rd, 2009: Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA
For the most up-to-date information and new tour dates as they are released, be sure to visit the band’s MySpace page here.
And if you’re a fan, join the official street team and fansite here, (Run by none other then TWRY’s own staffer Ellen!)
