Hailing from London Ontario, Canadian band Dead Days is an explosive metalcore act formed in 2019. Recording their debut self-titled E.P. with producer Lee Albrecht (Hollow Front, Sleepwaker), they saw immediate success with the release of their first two singles in early 2020 getting press and Spotify playlisting on numerous platforms. COVID19 stalled any live show opportunities, so the band started writing and recording more songs in August 2020 with Justin “JD” DeBlieck (ex-Ice Nine Kills). This resulted in the band signing with Theoria Records in 2021 and eventually released their EP “Tyrants” in 2022 where singles “Suffering” and “Tombstone” garnered multiple playlists on streaming platforms and positive reviews from press outlets. Continuing to work with DeBlieck, the band’s highly anticipated single “Past Life” was released in August 2023 independently, and received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Their new single “Death Song” just released on November 30th, with a lot more music to come in 2024.
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
Donny here! Dead Days formed from a long-time friendship between Ty Coker (ex-guitar/vocals) and Don Tuer (vocals/ME!). After our past bands came and went (Horizons, Searching for Satellites, Gracefield, and Struggle&Sleep) I decided to fill out the line up with pals from old bands that I trusted and knew would be reliable and stable after many failed attempts at trying to build bands over the years.
Dead Days name came about from the name of an old song I had written in my first band, Searching for Satellites. It was basically about our past lives, the old days, the days when we were young and had zero worries in life. Those days are all dead days now. Something you can look back on fondly or you can long for those days and never fully see the potential of the future.
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
I was in a few bands before starting Dead Days. My first band was Searching For Satellites. A post hardcore/screamo band that is still to this day some of the best music I have ever been a part of. After that I was picked up to replace the screamer for a band called Horizons out of Toronto. We gained some decent traction and landed on tours with bands like Ice Nine Kills, The Plot in You, Like Moths to Flames and Palisades. That is actually when and where I met our now producer/6th member of Dead Days, Justin JD DeBlieck, formerly of Ice Nine Kills. Sadly, Horizons imploded right as we were given label offers and even more lucrative tours. I took about 5 years off from music after that before realizing I just needed to have in it my life. For sanities sake and the simple fact that I'm not even remotely talented in any other facet of life.
I'm a straight up country kid. I discovered pop punk bands like New Found Glory, Sum 41, and Blink-182 and quickly that branched out to local screamo music acts like Alexisonfire, Silverstein, and Protest the Hero. It all came from a local music video channel called MUCH MUSIC and that opened me up to the world of alternative music. Since those days it's been a continuous endeavour of trying to make music a huge part of my life.
First concert that you ever went to?
Locally - London, Ontario. I was maybe 15. I was a diehard Silverstein fan and they came to town with Protest The Hero, Bombs Over Providence, The Soap Opera Coma, and Capeside. It solidified my want to be in a band and play in front of others.
National - Toronto, Ontario. I was probably 13-14. My favorite band in the world was New Found Glory and they came to T.O. opening for Green Day on the American Idiot Tour. Sugarcult opened the show and also blew my mind.
What's your writing process like?
It's slowly changed but has been relatively the same for the past 20 years. I am always writing lyrics just because. I pull ideas from day to day life, movies, and books. I used to compile hundreds of ideas and cycle them through instrumentals I would be given from whatever band I was in at the time. These days, with most Dead Days music, I still take that old approach, but I let the instrumental steer me emotionally and I might take one line of lyrics I had and use that to build all new lyrics on the spot. It's more exciting that way, trying to make words fit where they might not actually make sense was very daunting.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
On the playlist we put together, I went old school and pretty obscure unless you are from Ontario/London area. I tossed 2 bands on there that molded my vocal styling and lyrical style to be what they are today. The Soap Opera Coma is a local hometown hero act from many years ago, they captured me from the second I heard the first note ring out live. The lyrics and melodies are huge and captivating. I listen to their album "The Rising Cost of Living" at least 1-2 times a month. Seems all to relevant these days as well. I actually ended up in a band with a few of the members in what would become Searching For Satellites. Very akin to emo/post hardcore bands like Taking Back Sunday and Silverstein. The other band is Dead And Divine, by far my most influential band of all time. They shaped the literal way I scream and sing. I wanted nothing more than to look, sound, and be like front man, Matt Tobin. Not ashamed to admit that in the slightest. The heavy, driving, and melodic nature of their songs were literal perfection in my ears, still are. That band I listen to almost every single week. I want 'San Dimas' blaring every time I walk into a crowded room.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it's own thing?
Dead Days as a band is still pretty new as a live band, actually. Pandemic hit just months after we released out first single and ultimately killed all our plans and scheduled shows we had. After things calmed down, we played our first show in the spring of 2022 and immediately after that our guitar player/vocalist parted ways with us. So, basically, we were behind the 8 ball for a while. But fortunately for us, we are old and have been playing live together in one band or another for over 15 years so once we started hitting the stage consistently in 2023, it all came together. My basic philosophy when it comes to playing live has always been to make every show worth spending your hard-earned money on. Like any other form of entertainment, you pay to see live, you want to be entertained and walk away feeling something. When you see us play, you know we are having just as much fun as we hope you're going to. Energy and consistency are key.
As for live vs. recorded, that is a pretty tough one, playing and listening to music pitted against only consuming it are 2 very different spectrums to me. Doing your best to convey what you have captured in the studio and then deconstructing that for the live experience is what matters most in my eyes. Transferring your songs from record to live will never truly be perfect but at the same time, you also don't get the raw unharnessed energy that comes with a live performance, when you toss a song on Spotify at home. Music should be ingested both ways to truly understand and love an artist or band.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows? worst shows?
Because of said issues stated above, see question 6, folks, Dead Days has yet to legitimately tour. We have dabbled in weekend warrior runs with pals. Played many one offs around southwestern Ontario and built up our live show and just pushing our name as hard as we can. Best show though, would have to be our first hometown headliner in London, ON. Great turn out, many new fans, and just a sold vibe from a now thriving local scene that wasn't visible prior to the pesky pandemic. Worst show? Well, I would say, that should go to our first show. Simple because it brough on a big pressure for the band at the time. My close pal and bandmate decided it was time to walk away from Dead Days to focus on other endeavours. That really forced me to look inward and confront if I truly wanted to continue Dead Days and take on the full brunt of being the solo vocalist. A decision that ultimately saw me learning to sing and opening myself up in a vastly different way. Best choice I have ever made.
What's up next for the band?
Next is new music. Lots of it. We have new releases, music videos, merch, and live shows all planned and sitting ready to go for next year. We have some curveballs for everyone in 2024 and I can't wait to see all our hard work finally let out into the world. We are working as a team and have come so far as a band in just 3.5 years. I'm proud to be in a band with these knuckle heads.