Dick Chesney Interview

Looking for good bands in the midwest is kind of like going through the used section at a chain store. You might find something good, but you usually find the copycat bands that every scene has. Remember a few years back when there were ska bands in every city?! -Enough Said.

Oklahoma may have seen it's fair share of bands rise out of the midwestern mediocrity surrounding it (The Evangelicals, Starlight Mints, Flaming Lips, etc.), but in the sea of copycat hardcore/screamo bands that exist in the Sooner State, few can do what Dick Chesney do. Untraditional song structures and original concepts that call to mind those "screamo" bands that existed before track jackets became staples, coming up as a breathe of fresh air in over-crowded scene where every kid wants to be "hardcore". I decided to catch up with them right before their upcoming tour of the south and here's what they had to say...



There have been some line-up changes lately with Dick Chesney. How has this affected the band in it's sound and direction for the newer songs?

DC: Well, we lost our guitarist and vocalist Trey. We took a break for a while after that to kind of figure out where we wanted to go, and even if we still wanted to continue on. We decided to add our longstanding friend Nick Sanchez on guitar, and we also decided to add our friend Judd Orsburn on vocals. Adding Judd as a main vocalist really allowed us to focus on more complex song structures and parts, and he's come to this band with a different lyrical standpoint, which is always nice.



Screamo has become (by many who misuse it) a word that seems to mean almost anything these days. Can you explain what it is about the style of Screamo that you play that separates Dick Chesney from people's pre-conceived notions of what Screamo is (i.e. hot topic kids and track jackets)?

DC: Passion. I think you'll see a lot more energy and heart put into what we're doing, as opposed to the typical screamo band that concerns itself more with how many t-shirt designs they want rather than what they are playing.



It has been noted quite well by your fanbase that your song structures are vastly different than that of many bands who follow the traditional "verse/chorus/verse" mentality. Why is that so?

DC:I think it mainly evolved from us getting bored. To us (this is coming from a musician's standpoit), if you have to repeat any part of a song, it gets dull. We like to keep the song moving and (to) challenge ourselves rather than replay what we've done already.



With another tour coming up, what places are you looking most forward to playing?

DC: Everywhere! On this tour, we'll get to revisit some awesome friends we've made thus far. We're really excited to play at the I Can Fly House in Atlanta with our friends Histories, and with our friends We'll Dance Like Ghosts on Rooftops in Cape Coral, FL. We're also all pretty excited about not playing, too. We're taking a day off in Houston to go to a Hot Cross show, haha.



Playing with many bands, you've had to hear some amazing ones. Are they any bands that our readers should take note of?

DC: Take notes everyone: Histories, A Silhouette, me and him call it us, Damezumari, runsfasterscared, Rousseau, Kidcrash, Steeples, and the list goes on.....



Lastly, do you have any final statements?

DC:Let us play in your living room.


http://www.myspace.com/dickchesney