THE RIDER: DD Island's Top 10
Ahead of their EP release show (TONIGHT!), the band on MY COWS, a good soundcheck and a whollllle bunch of beverages
HI! US AGAIN!
Ok, it took a while, but two months after this feature’s debut, HERE IS ANOTHER RIDER FOR YOU!
(We know we said this would be weekly, but—as we’re fond of saying whenever we’re behind on anything at all—time’s nothin’ but a construct, mannn.)
As noted in the first edition of this segment, THE RIDER is basically a band’s top 10 necessities, and this round we’re stoked to get inside the hearts/minds/souls—the metaphorical green room of LIFE—belonging to Brooklyn band DD Island, whose new EP Runnin is out TODAY!
Stream it here!
DD Island started as the solo songwriting endeavor of Nashvillian-turned-Brooklynite Brandon Rhodes, who bounced up to BK in 2021 and later expanded his ~soulgaze~ project into a full-blown band with the addition of Jeremy Batt (guitar), Zach Lichtman (drums) and Andrew Strader (bass).
As for this group’s particular type o’ tunes? After doing some intense investigation (googling), we came upon an ancient artifact (fb page) on which the artist describes the sound in beautifully nostalgic x aquatic terms: “DD Island sounds like how it feels to swim around in a creek as a child.”
And what better time than Friday morning to take a little bit of a soundbath?!
Dive in now! And TONIGHT: Get your sonic swim on with a roomful of fans and friends at the band’s record-release show — 7 p.m. at where else but Alphaville, with Van Vreeland and Ruby Lou.
GRAB YOUR TIX HERE.
Now set the vibe via video…
And read on for DD Island’s Top 10!
Happy Friday — for real this time. Have a really great weekend <3
DD ISLAND’S TOP 10
1. My Cows
This is a car game my friend taught me a while back. I have a feeling I've completely adapted my own version at this point. But the idea of the game is pretty simple: When you see a herd of cows off the highway or wherever you may be, you say "MY COWS!" That's 1 point. When you see horses, "MY HORSES!" That's 2 points. Your opponents/ fellow car passengers have an opportunity to take points away though... Every time you see a body of water (of any kind) you say "body of water drowning Jeremy's cows!!" You always wanna drown Jeremy's cows cuz he's always whooping our butts :/
2. Victor Wooten Novels
I've read both his books now. He's not necessarily the best author or anything, but I love his perspective and relationship with music. It's helped me out a lot and opened my eyes to new ways of seeing what we do as musicians. Highly recommend!
3. Wawa has Pizza
Did you guys know...that Wawa...has Pizza?!?
4. A good soundcheck
I'd rather spend an extra 5 minutes on a soundcheck and play a 30 minute set than rush into a bad sounding 40 min set. Shit's so important.
5. Good Bean
We're all big on the bean, expect Zach, but we'll get to that. Andrew and I can have like 3 cups of coffee a day. It's not a problem idk what you're talking about!
6. Betty
I just bought a van to tour/live out of this summer. Her name's Betty and we love her.
7. Bubbly Water
Andy loves his bubbles:)
8. Glacier Freeze Gatorade
Zach consumes more Gatorade than anyone I know. He loves the stuff. Particularly Glacier Freeze. While the rest of us are drinking coffee, Zach has his Gatorade.
9. Water Pick
Jeremy has the whitest teeth of anyone I know. His immaculate dental hygiene is inspirational. I sometimes forget to brush my teeth... But Jer's on that shit!
10. Learn a Cover
I guess some bands feel weird about learning covers, but we love it. There's nothing better than reimagining one of your favorite tunes. I think it's a really great way for bands to grow as a unit and try new things.
Thanks for reading, listening, and coming out to our gigs in our early days as a band. We're super stoked for people to hear the new EP! And ready for another great year of shows. See ya out there:)
The Top 10 above written + provided by DD Island. Follow the band at @dd.island, buy music on Bandcamp and add the songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image provided by the band.