When our new buddies Dazzletine dropped and discussed their single "Plumage" with us last month, we had a lively conversation about the song, drew the blinds, closed up the office, and made it our weekend jam. Taken from their brand new Heart, Mind, Bodies EP, frontman Dan Koshute, Andrew Daub, and Bryan Heller capture the visual wild romp of girlfriend groupie makeovers that take over with a dazzling blitzkrieg of life coach-style council-counseling.
The video begins like a glama-rama slumberparty where the band's signficant others pick up the unplugged-electric guitar shredding duties. To the lyrics of "all hang tight", the group of Dan, Seth “Goose” Chizeck, Mike “Japan” Borowski, and Nick “Flowers” Fleury get conned into the personal exterior remodeling experiment. The gals get to work with the makeup application, wardrobe changes while the Dazzletine dudes pout, roll their eyes, and ham it up for the camera. Displaying looks from bored to self-adored; the girlfriends and wives continue to have their own fun with the band and their guitars, as "Plumage" plays on and encourages simulated shredding, shifting into the group's glam sensibility of chic.
The spontaneous and fun at home feel of the video should inspire one to flaunt their best "Plumage" forward. Quicker than you can sing the lines, "give me air and blow your hair", Dazzletine gives you the opportunity to rethink your Halloween dress attire for this year or next. Their screen tests provide a variety of options from the best beaded necklaces, stripped down attires, vague tribal face paints, hats, and headbands for days. Above all, the message is to dress yourself up or down (or have that special, significant someone give you pointers at least) in a manner that makes you feel as much or as little as yourself as you want to be.
Dan Koshute talked to us about everything from makeovers, face painting, makeup, dress-up, the announcement of a new album, and every dazzling thing about Dazzletine in between.
Bedroom rockover and makeovers, how did this whole video debacle begin?
For the longest time, I envisioned an entirely different idea for the video. It’s hard to explain and get the idea across, but it involved each member of the band being chased on foot by cops through Pittsburgh streets where innocent bystanders look on—and then fist fighting the cops when the solo kicked in. When we finally got the green light to make a video for “Plumage”, I decided on a more abstract but direct approach that played with and addressed all the main elements of what the song is about.
Who are the unspoken heroes of this video's extreme model makeovers of you all?
Japan’s wife Naoko and Flowers’ girlfriend Ashlee. They’ve helped us apply make up since day one, and it was important for me to feature them working their magic in the video.
We are presuming these are the talents by your guitar shredding harem?
I hope the audience sees the hands putting makeup on us as the hands that steer the ship of state, of all states.
What makeover tips can you share with us that you all have learned?
Accept the fact that the remnants of eye makeup will stay on for at least 3 days. Just learn to enjoy the strange looks from cashiers, co-workers, bankers, teachers, waiters, bakers, tailors, postmen, pimps, thieves, killers, fighters, and everyone else not on your buddylist.
Can you address the recent rise in face-painting and the like? What should be done about it? What can be done about it? And how concerned should authority figures be about this kind of hedonism?
I can’t speak for everybody, but for us makeup and face paint is married to the music. In order for us to make the sounds we want, we have to approach our instruments in the same way a leader of a ritual would approach a ceremony—in the proper vestments. Our music isn’t from our immediate experience, but rather from something always present but hidden from normal perception. To activate these energies we have to look, act, and think in a way the majority of people might see as bizarre, frightening, or feminine. As far as trends: fuck all trends. Just seek to experience that which exists beyond what you immediately perceive, through the rituals of the heart. Authority figures should be scared to death because this prescription makes their authority obsolete and absurd.
So now that you're all decked out to the Day-Glo 9s, what's next for Dazzletine?
1. Tour 2. Make more videos 3. Start recording our first LP Organomee.
Dazzletine's Heart, Mind, Bodies EP is available now from Bandcamp and iTunes.
