First & Last #1 - Dazzle Ships

Welcome to the first in a new feature I'm calling first and last. 'First and Last' is a nice little way of introducing you to new bands and learning a little bit about them without bombarding you with links, annoying blog words like 'rad and 'jam' or asking boring questions such as, "Where did you record your album?". The first band to join in and pop the cherry so to speak is the oh so excellent Dazzle Ships. Precociously young and even more talented they make, some of the most nonchalent and effortlessly cool music since The Organ. Boyfriend and girlfriend, the pair hail from California and are named after World War one boats which were painted in magic eye patterns to disguise them from would be assailants.

First band you ever saw live?

Tyler: Modest Mouse like 6 years ago. it was a really cool experience because I had this crazy connection and somehow Ed Templeton ended up getting me in for free. One of my favorite people getting me into one of my favorite bands show. All and all it was a good first show experience.

Hatii: To be honest I've never really seen a big band play before, I have though seen local bands play in my hometown. I believe the first one I've ever seen live was John Thill, he reigned from Riverside and his shows consisted of playing on an acoustic guitar and using a Britney Spears style headset. The first time I saw him was at a party house in Riverside called the Turtle Shouse, I believe I was 14 at the time, he had a tendency to take off his shirt during his sets and a friend of his would wrap him in up in scotch tape, very interesting for my 14 year old mind.

What was the first instrument you played as a child?

Tyler: A bass that I stole from my younger sister at about age 12.

Hatii: The first instrument I ever played was a guitar. All three of my older brother's played and there was always at least 4 of them chillin around the house. I remember being awe struck whenever one of the would play and it gave me a strong desire to learn it myself. From then on I always loved to mess with guitars, even though my tiny inexperienced fingers never made anything good.

First song you wrote as Dazzle Ships?

The first songs we wrote were really electronic and didn't have any guitars. Those might surface sometime later. but the first song we wrote that sounds like dazzle ships is called "spell on me" when we went to record it i was testing out my guitar tone in the recording program I accidentally wrote Least Resistance, and we got really excited about it so we ended up going ahead and recording that one first.

Where was the last show you played? How did it go?

It was at Spaceland with Memory Tapes in L.A, it blew our minds to find out that the show was sold out, and before anyone started playing there was a line out the door and around the building. We actually didn't think that we were going to be able to play the show because Hatii hadn't gotten her ID yet and the venue was 21 and up, and you have to at least be 18 to play. We were stressed out that it wasn't going to happen, and we were calling Spaceland and asking them if she could use a school ID or bring her birth certificate. We never actually got a yes or no, they just said they would make it work. In the end the guy at the front checking IDs let her in with a photo ID and her birth certificate, but it was still stressful nonetheless. We had to wait outside when we weren't playing and had to have a guy escort us to the stage right before we had to set up to play. We didn't even get to sell our merch because we weren't aloud in the place. It was very strange, but all and all it was a good show and we had a great time.

First album you ever bought?

Tyler: Godzilla soundtrack, looking back on it...that jimmy page/p diddy song was terrible....

Hatii: I've always been a pirater, I'll admit it, I never really bothered to buy any CDs because I thought it was just pointless. It wasn't until Antics by Interpol came out that I bothered to buy something. I had been a fan of their previous album and thought it would be a good choice.

Last time you were drunk was...

Tyler: I don't drink that often anymore but I got accidentally wasted at our the practice right before our last show. I ended up not playing guitar and beatboxing into the p.a. like a dumbass.

Hatii: Yesterday actually, it was St, Patrick's day afterall. Me and my sister drank on my porch and watched the sunset, it was quite nice.

First crush on a famous person...

Tyler: Winona Ryder

Hatii: I think my first crush on a famous person was Joseph Gordon-Levitt, my whole family liked and frequently watched the show 3rd Rock From the Sun. He played the old and wise alien stuck in a little boys body. Lot's of preteen angst.

The last band you saw live recently?

Last show we saw was No Paws, Meho Plaza and SiSu at the smell. They were all great.

Tell me about the first ever Dazzle Ships show

It was in a sketchy apartment in Riverside. They projected porn behind all the bands and had like 400 vhs tapes stacked everywhere. The cops ended up coming and everyone had to hide. It was an interesting experience.

Last time you swore...

Tyler: a couple of seconds ago when my dog wouldn't stop sleep farting.

Hatii: Today, it wasn't a great day for me.

First time you met your band mate(s)?

Hatii: The first time I met Tyler was in 2008. We were both at a show in Riverside and he was already acquaintance with my sister's boyfriend so it was an instant introduction. He sat by me at the venue and I remember blushing like a tomato. Now we're in a band together and it's a crazy thought to me. Who would have known back then.

Last film you saw...

Alice in Wonderland, it was absolutely terrible.....

Dazzle Ships @ Myspace
MP3: Dazzle Ships - Least Resistance

First & Last #1 - Dazzle Ships