Days N Daze Show Me The Blueprints. Album Release
Days N Daze have been making music since 2008, originally as a duo. The Houston band has seen members pass through on their musical journey, each leaving a piece of themselves. Today’s lineup includes Jesse Sendejas on vocals, guitar, mandolin, and banjo, Whitney Flynn on vocals, trumpet, and ukelele, Geoff Bell on gutbucket, and Meagan Melancon (Meg Gan) on the washboard.
Yes, that list did include washboard, gutbucket, ukelele, and mandolin. They are not a country or roots band. They make “thrashgrass”, and it’s magnificent. The music is a smashing mix of punk, ska, and bluegrass. They’ve got a new release coming out on May 1st, Show Me The Blueprints., and it will be available everywhere you get your music. The album is their first Fat Wreck Chords release. It’s 11 tracks filled with stories, personality, and badass music.
I had the pleasure of previewing the album and it’s unlike anything else I’ve ever heard. I’m in love with it. It mingles so many of my favourite things, ska horns, washboards, gutbucket, and ukelele, in addition to guitars, vocals, and lyrics that hit home. It’s divergent and a welcome respite in these weird times.
They’re a band with a social conscience. Days N Daze typically hosts a pair of annual music festivals, Houston’s Folxmas, a year-end show benefitting Houston food pantries, and EmmaFest, in honour of the band’s late friend, Emma Polunsky. The festival focuses on harm reduction efforts. In 2019, the band joined AJJ, Amigo the Devil, and Bridge City Sinners for two sold-out shows at Neumos in Seattle for an immigrants and refugees rights benefit.,
If you’re a fan of The Dead South, you owe it to yourself to give this band a listen. They’ll be live streaming on release day, May 1st – Toxic Wotsit Live Stream Gig #2. Check the event for times! And, remember that bandcamp is waiving fees on release day, Friday, May 1st.
Thanks to Whitney and Jesse for taking the time to answer our questions, and thank you for being so honest with your answers, but also with the lyrics.
Q&A
Q: Can you tell us the story of how your band met and came together?
Whitney: It’s the classic, girl meets punk..boy meets punk…they meet each other and start a band scenario. Jesse and I grew up with each other went through the high school sweetheart phase and figured out what it meant to become our own self’s and to “grow up”. We moved to San Marcos, TX in 2008 where I was going to college and didn’t have anyone but each other at the time so we started writing music together. That grew into making “mixtapes” that we would give out at grocery store parking lots and playing open mics at the local coffee shop. Shortly after we started touring and quit everything in our everyday life to dedicate to music. Almost 12 years later we’re still the best of friends still making the music that gave us purpose at such a young age.
Q: Is there a story behind Days N Daze band’s name?
Jesse: Haha, nope not really. Literally the first thing we thought of. Whit n I were playin’ music on our back porch in San Marcos, TX. Whit said, “We should probably have a band name if we’re gonna start playin’ shows.”. I replied, “How about Days N Daze?”. We just went with it.
Q: It’s pretty unique using washboard and gutbucket on a punk record, can you talk about your unorthodox choices?
Jesse: When we first started playin’ we couldn’t afford amps n drums. Also, we didn’t really have a practice space or anything so we decided to just pick up a washboard, a bucket, a stick, and some string. So kinda started out of necessity and once again we just went with it. =]
Q: Let’s talk about Show Me The Blueprints. I’ve read that, “Sendejas calls the decision “terrifying.” Flynn describes it as “massively intimidating.” Can you elaborate on those statements?
Whitney: Going from recording in a closet for ten years to a full out professional recording studio with producers and a label backing you would make anyone feel a bit uneasy at first. After working and getting to know everyone at the label we couldn’t be more ecstatic about the outcome of the album. Every decision that we’ve made as a band has come with it’s set of challenges which in turn has grown us stronger in our abilities as musicians and songwriters. The experience we’ve had recording with Fat Wreck only solidified our confidence in trusting them with this new record and we are all so stoked for the release!
Q: I’m curious about the writing process for the album, can you give us any details on what writing sessions look like?
Whitney: Every album we do we each have our own songs we write individually and the ones we write together. I think the process of each of us in the past couple years, since our last album “Crustfall“, really made for reevaluating ourselves in our own personal lives. Finding comfort in each other songs that we contributed, even if we were far away, helped me really find some sort of solace and inspiration that I hope will resonate “you aren’t alone” Sometimes the most vulnerable lyrics are the most needed. The years of experience of trial and error is what I feel made the biggest contribution to making this album something that at the end of the day i say I am super proud of.
Q: What was it like working with John Carey and D-Composers?
Whitney: 100% a wonderful and inspirational experience. The drive and dedication he gave to each one of our songs were incredible. At a point, there was just a flow where we were crushing multiple takes one after the other. For our first experience with a producer I almost feel spoiled to have no complaints, even being a person that has the loudest opinion most of the time, it was tops. He was not only patient and understanding, but he also showed us step by step the process of how our album became what it is. Forever grateful for the chance to work him!
Q: Can you talk about Jesse’s sobriety and its impacts on the new music?
Jesse: If ya listen to the record there are quite a few songs about addiction. About the consequences of it. About how I handled it. I always tried to write or at least edit sober so I don’t think the actual songwriting changed much, though this is the first record I’ve ever recorded entirely sober so I hope my playing sounds a bit tighter at least.
Q: I love this album, and I’m finding it hard to pick a favourite, do you have a favourite track? (Goodbye Lulu pt.2 keeps coming to the top of the list for me)
Whitney: I’ve listened to it so many times I feel like my favorite song has been changed a hundred times. When I think about the one that has kept me going the most was the one that kinda grew on me, Flurry Rush. I remember waking up every morning (before everyone else) during our time recording in LA and taking my walk blasting it on repeat. I wasn’t in the best place at the time, taking a break from drinking, kind of endlessly trapt in grief and the clique of loneliness when that breakdown would hit my ears I felt (and still feel) an electric bolt of we got this…I got this..it’s gonna be okay.
Jesse: Same. My favorite has changed a few times, but I think I’ve landed on the title track. It deals with OCD which is something I’ve dealt with my entire life and never really addressed in any of our music so it’s a huge weight off my chest to get my thoughts and feelings surrounding the disorder out into the void.
Q: With the current situation, it seems like touring will be out of the question. Do you have alternate plans to get your music to fans?
Whitney: We have been trying to do as many livestream shows as we can! We are getting new merch made and trying our best to keep in touch with everyone that listens to us. With everything that comes in life you gotta learn to adapt so we are doing everything we can to acclimate to the new norm.
Q: Is there anything I missed, that you’d like readers to know?
Whitney: We have new artwork and new merch in the works! I’ve been working on my first solo demo that I’m hoping to be released by next year. I just released some of my old bands’ music on iTunes etc. (My Pizza My World and DECATHECT) Please never hesitate by shootin’ us a message through email or Facebook. I know times are rough right now but we always want to do our best to stay connected. We’ll be live streaming probably way too many “shows” so be sure to check us out on the interwebs. We hope you like the album and are very very excited for the release!
Jesse: My other project Escape from the ZOO just released a split with Public Serpents. We also have a single comin’ out with Shooting Tsars soon. Aside from that just what Whit said. Weird times right now. If it’s gettin’ to ya and you can’t talk to friends, family, or professionals in the support industry please don’t hesitate to shoot us a message. It may take a few days, but we’ll get back to ya!! <3
Track Listing
01 – Flurry Rush 2:49
02 – Ditches 2:42
03 – LibriYUM 3:25
04 – Saboteurs 3:42
05 – My Darling Dopamine 3:22
06 – Rewind 2:16
07 – Addvice 3:22
08 – None Exempt 3:51
09 – Fast Track 2:24
10 – Show Me the Blueprints 3:07
11 – Goodbye Lulu pt.2 6:22
Days N Daze Links
Web / BandCamp / YouTube / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Spotify
Writer/Photographer/Editor
Toronto Music Blogger
