Dance Gavin Dance | |
|---|---|
 Dance Gavin Dance performing at theWebster Theater, 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Rise |
| Spinoffs | Secret Band |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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Dance Gavin Dance is an Americanrock band fromSacramento, California, formed in 2005. It consists of lead guitaristWill Swan, drummer Matthew Mingus, harsh vocalist Jon Mess, and lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells. The band formerly included lead vocalistsJonny Craig,Kurt Travis, andTilian Pearson, and the lineup has changed numerous times since their inception. Swan and Mingus are the only band members who have appeared on every studio album.
The band released their debutextended play (EP),Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean, in 2006 and signed toRise Records thereafter. Their debut studio album,Downtown Battle Mountain, was released in May 2007. Craig and guitarist Sean O'Sullivan left the group and were replaced byKurt Travis and Zachary Garren, respectively. They released their album,Dance Gavin Dance, in August 2008. Vocalist Jon Mess and bassist Eric Lodge left the group before the album's release, with Lodge being replaced by Jason Ellis.Happiness, the group's third studio album, was released in June 2009.
In 2010,Jonny Craig, Jon Mess and Eric Lodge returned to the band and recorded their fourth studio album,Downtown Battle Mountain II (2011). Craig and Lodge departed from the group the following year, which led to bassist Tim Feerick, guitarist Josh Benton, and formerTides of Man vocalistTilian Pearson joining the band. They released their fifth studio album,Acceptance Speech (2013); Benton left the band shortly after the album's release. Their sixth studio album,Instant Gratification, was released in April 2015. The following year, the group released the live album,Tree City Sessions, and their seventh studio album,Mothership, the latter charting at number 13 on theBillboard 200. They released their eighth studio album,Artificial Selection, in June 2018, placing at number 15 on theBillboard 200. In 2020, they released their ninth studio album,Afterburner in April, which placed at number 14 on theBillboard 200, andTree City Sessions 2 in December.
Bassist Tim Feerick died in 2022, prior to the release of the band's tenth album,Jackpot Juicer, leading to Sianvar andRoyal Coda guitarist Sergio Medina taking over on live bass duties.[1][2] Pearson underwent a brief hiatus from the band in 2022 following sexual assault allegations before parting ways with the band in 2024.[3]
The band has achieved four top-twenty albums in the US, including one top 10.[4]
Dance Gavin Dance formed shortly after the dissolution of guitaristWill Swan, guitarist Alvaro Alcala, drummer Matt Mingus and bassist Eric Lodge's previous band, Farewell Unknown. After recruiting harsh vocalist Jon Mess, clean vocalistJonny Craig joined the band after leaving his former band Ghost Runner On Third due to conflicts within the group. In 2005, they self-released their debut extended play (EP),Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean, which was subsequently re-released on November 14, 2006, onRise Records.[5] Their debut studio album,Downtown Battle Mountain, produced byKris Crummett, was released on May 15, 2007, onRise Records. The band toured with American post-hardcore groupsAlesana,A Day To Remember andPierce the Veil in support of the album.[6]
In August 2007, guitarist Sean O'Sullivan departed from the group and was replaced by Zachary Garren. In November 2007, singerJonny Craig had left the group due to a heated argument between himself and the band's manager and when insisting on rejoining was denied due to tensions and personal conflicts within the band, mostly due to his lack of dependability and Craig's failure to be present during a portion of the band's set atSaints & Sinners Festival inNew Jersey due to alcohol and drug related issues.[7][8]
Briefly following Jonny Craig's departure, Dance Gavin Dance held auditions to recruit a replacement clean vocalist. Nic Newsham of Americanpost-hardcore bandGatsby's American Dream was offered to join, however chose not to despite later featuring on the song "Uneasy Hearts Weigh The Most" on their self-titled2008 album. Other singers that auditioned includedKellin Quinn ofSleeping with Sirens, Matt Geise ofLower Definition, and Thomas Dutton.Kurt Travis, formerly of theSacramento based rock bands Five Minute Ride, O! The Joy, and No Not Constant, became the group's new clean vocalist.[9]
On April 20, 2008, the group entered the studio to record their self-titled second studio album withKris Crummett.[10] The album was released on August 19, 2008.[11] Prior to the release of the album, but following its recording sessions, two original members, unclean vocalist Jon Mess and bassist Eric Lodge, departed from the band.[5] Following their respective departures,Will Swan pursued screaming vocal duties along with performing lead guitar, and Jason Ellis, formerly of Five Minute Ride, replaced Lodge on bass guitar. The group filmed a music video for the song "Me and Zoloft Get Along Just Fine", with director Robby Starbuck, which was released November 18, 2008.[12]
In February 2009, the band went into the studio as a five-piece to record the follow-up to their self-titled album, yet again with producer Kris Crummett. The resulting album,Happiness, was released on June 9, 2009, less than one year after the release of their second studio album. Bassist Jason Ellis appears onHappiness, however left the group before its release, subsequently being replaced by Tim Feerick as a touring member.AllMusic gave a mixed review of the album, writing, "Happiness bristles with the kind of overachiever eclecticism that's as impressive as it is divisive," but that two songs were marred by the "nasally realm of high school emo," leaving the listener unsatisfied with the experience.[13] A music video for the track "Tree Village" was released shortly after the album.[14] The band embarked on tours with American rock bandsEmarosa,Closure in Moscow,Scary Kids Scaring Kids, and others in support of the album.
On February 10, 2010, guitarist Zachary Garren was allegedly ousted by the band due to personal conflicts with other members. Shortly after, Garren met drummer Ben Rosett and formed themath rock trioStrawberry Girls, now signed toTragic Hero Records.[15] Dance Gavin Dance played theSoundwave festival as scheduled as a four-piece with Swan handling all guitar duties andKurt Travis playing keyboards.
Jon Mess and Eric Lodge rejoined the band in mid-2010.[16] Josh Benton, former guitarist and bandmate ofKurt Travis in No Not Constant, took up guitar duties. In AugustAlternative Press said singerKurt Travis and Dance Gavin Dance had officially parted ways in order for Jonny Craig to rejoin the band.[17] Before dismissing Travis, the band briefly considered recording an album with Travis and Mess on vocals with producerMatt Bayles at the helm. Mess stated in an interview with noisey.vice.com that if Jonny wasn't willing to rejoin, the band would've broken up.[18] Former guitarist Sean O'Sullivan rejoined the band for several home shows towards the end of 2010, returning the band to theirDowntown Battle Mountain line-up. On March 8, 2011, the band releasedDowntown Battle Mountain II.
In March 2011, the band began their U.S. tour withIwrestledabearonce,In Fear And Faith, and Just Like Vinyl, followed by a small European tour, culminating in two shows in London playing the originalDowntown Battle Mountain in full on the first night andDowntown Battle Mountain II in full on the second night. The band also played at the2011 Vans Warped Tour. In an April 2011 interview with Mind Equals Blown, drummer Matt Mingus stated the band plans to release another album with the current, reunited lineup.[19] On August 20, 2012, Jonny Craig announced his departure from the band.[20]
On August 21, 2012, Dance Gavin Dance announced Craig's departure via Facebook.[21]
Tilian Pearson, formerly ofTides of Man, was asked to replace Craig as clean vocalist during the making of his solo album,Material Me (2013). Pearson, along with guitarist Josh Benton and bass guitarist Tim Feerick, were confirmed as official members by Jon Mess. The band's fifth album,Acceptance Speech, was released on October 8, 2013 with Rise Records. The album was produced by Matt Malpass. Shortly after the shooting of their music video for their single "Strawberry Swisher Pt. 3", Josh Benton parted ways with the band in order to focus on his career as an audio engineer and producer. Aric Garcia of post-hardcore bandHail the Sun replaced Benton for The Acceptance Speech Tour and The Rise Records tour. On September 17, Dance Gavin Dance released a b-side fromAcceptance Speech, entitled "Pussy Vultures".
On October 29, 2014, producerKris Crummett announced that recording sessions for the band's sixth studio album were completed. In place of former member Josh Benton,Strawberry Girls and former Dance Gavin Dance guitarist Zachary Garren,Secret Band guitarist Martin Bianchini, andHail the Sun guitarist and touring member Aric Garcia contributed their respective guitar parts on the album. On February 6, 2015,Rise Records released a teaser for the new albumInstant Gratification, which was later released on April 14, 2015. On February 12, 2015, the band released the lead single, "On the Run". The second single, "We Own the Night", was released on March 12, 2015. The music video for "We Own the Night" was uploaded to the official Rise RecordsYouTube channel on May 7, 2015.[22][23] On April 2, the band premiered the music video for the song "Stroke God, Millionaire".
On February 19, 2015, the band's guitaristWill Swan published a post on Facebook revealing that theguitar pedalboard he uses to perform live withSecret Band, Dance Gavin Dance, andSianvar was stolen at a show of February 14 onThe Blue Swan Tour. He launched aGoFundMe account and asked fans to donate $2,500 to help purchase a replacement pedalboard.[24] The fund reached its goal within three hours of its launch.
Dance Gavin Dance toured as a supporting act on the Take Action! Tour withMemphis May Fire,Crown The Empire, andPalisades from March 10 to April 4, 2015.[25] In support ofInstant Gratification, the band announced the Instant Gratification Tour, which took place from April 14 to May 8, 2015, across North America with supporting actsPolyphia, Hail The Sun, andStolas. The band embarked on their headlining Australia tour from May 14 to 23, 2015, with opening acts Acrasia.[26] In celebration of the band's 10th anniversary, Dance Gavin Dance embarked on the 10 Year Anniversary tour with supporting actsA Lot Like Birds,Slaves,Dayshell, andStrawberry Girls from November 14 to December 19, 2015, in North America.[27]
On December 23, 2015,Rise Records revealed that Dance Gavin Dance were to release their upcoming seventh studio album the fall of 2016.[28]
The band performed at So What Music Festival inGrand Prairie, Texas on March 20, 2016.[29] They also performed at the Extreme Thing Sports & Music Festival inLas Vegas, Nevada on April 2, 2016, with other bands such asSaosin,the Story So Far,the Maine,Mayday Parade, among several others.[30]
On March 2, 2016, the band announced their live studio album,Tree City Sessions, which was released on May 13, 2016. The album contains 12 live recorded songs performed inSacramento, California at the Pus Cavern Studios. On May 10, 2016, the band announced the U.K. leg of their 10th anniversary tour that included vocalistsTilian Pearson,Kurt Travis, andJonny Craig.[31] On July 11, the group announced their U.S. fall tour which took place from September 22 to October 27, 2016.[32]
On July 27, 2016, the band announced their seventh studio album,Mothership, with a scheduled release date of October 7, 2016. The lead single, "Chucky Vs. the Giant Tortoise", was released on August 18, 2016. The music video for "Betrayed By The Game" was released on September 16, 2016, and the music video for "Young Robot" was released on September 27, 2016. In support of the album, the band embarked on The Mothership Tour with supporting actsThe Contortionist,Hail the Sun,Good Tiger, andThe White Noise, which took place from September 22 to October 27, 2016.[33]
Dance Gavin Dance embarked on the European leg of their 10-year anniversary tour from November 3 to 26, 2016.[34] The band embarked on a tour with American rock bandsCHON andEidola in February and March, entitled The Robot with Human Hair Vs. Chonzilla Tour.
On June 1, 2017, the band released a studio cover of theBruno Mars single "That's What I Like" on YouTube.[35] On June 15, 2017, they released the stand-alone single "Summertime Gladness".[36] The group toured on the Journey's Right Foot Stage on theVans Warped Tour from June to August.
On October 4, 2017, the band announced a U.S. tour, consisting of the group performing their seventh studio albumMothership in its entirety through December, with support fromPolyphia,Icarus the Owl, andWolf & Bear.[37]
On October 17, 2017, the band announced that recording of their upcoming eighth studio album had begun and that the album should expect a release date of summer 2018.[38] The band embarked on a headlining European tour from March 3 to 22, 2018, withVeil Of Maya andThousand Below as support.[39] The band announced their eighth studio album,Artificial Selection, on March 23, 2018.[40] The band released the lead single off the album, "Midnight Crusade", on April 4, 2018, accompanied with its music video. On May 3, 2018 the band released the song "Son of Robot". They released the song "Care", accompanied by a music video, on May 24, 2018. "Count Bassy" and its music video were released three days prior to the album on June 5, 2018. In support of the album, the band supported American post-hardcore bandUnderoath on two 2018 tours and embarked on their headliningArtificial Selection Tour, withPeriphery,Hail the Sun, andDon Broco, in 2019. The band held their first annual SwanFest on March 30, 2019 at theCity National Grove of Anaheim inAnaheim, California.
A new single, "Head Hunter", was released on March 22, 2019.[41] The band's clean vocalistTilian Pearson confirmed that Dance Gavin Dance will release their ninth studio album in 2020, with new singles coming out in 2019.[42]
On August 30, 2019, the band releasedAcceptance Speech 2.0, aremaster of their fifth studio albumAcceptance Speech.[43]
Another single, "Blood Wolf", was released on October 11, 2019.[44] It became the band's first career charting single, debuting at number 24 on theBillboardHot Rock Songs chart.A spring tour was announced on November 12, scheduled to take place from March 12 to April 25, 2020 with support fromAnimals As Leaders,Veil of Maya,Royal Coda, and a yet to be announced "mystery band".[45] On December 12, 2019, frontmanTilian Pearson revealedIssues would be joining as the “mystery band,” giving them the seal of approval by saying he's “been a fan for a while now.”[46] On March 12, 2020, the band announced that they had cancelled all tour dates on the 2020 spring tour due to theCOVID-19 pandemic with plans to reschedule.[47] On March 24, the band announced the rescheduled tour dates under the nameThe Afterburner Tour. They were scheduled to take place in August and September 2020, but were eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[48]
On February 21, 2020, the band announced that their ninth studio album,Afterburner, would be released on April 24, 2020. The lead single, "Prisoner", was released on the same day along with its music video.[49] Another single, "Strawberry's Wake", was released on March 12, 2020, along with its music video.[50] The music video for the single "Lyrics Lie" was released on April 9, 2020.[51] The single "Three Wishes" was released on April 16, 2020, along with its music video. The video features fan submissions based on the theme of "clean".[52]
On December 25, 2020, the band released their third live albumTree City Sessions 2.
On February 26, 2021, guitaristWill Swan confirmed that the band were writing their tenth studio album and are scheduled to begin recording in the summer.[53] On October 16, Tilian announced thatEidola vocalist Andrew Wells will be the band's newest member. The band ended 2021 with theAfterburner tour with support fromPolyphia,Veil of Maya,Eidola, andWolf & Bear. It was one of the first large scale indoor venue tours tour since theCOVID-19 pandemic and sold a total of 78,565 tickets and 28 of the 33 shows were sold out.[54]
On March 24, 2022, the band released "Synergy", featuring Rob Damiani of English rock bandDon Broco, as the lead single from their tenth studio album,Jackpot Juicer.[55] Early reviews for the album were very positive, with BoolinTunes referring to it as the band's 'most electrifying, consistent and varied release.'[56] In support of the album, the band performed at their second inaugural SwanFest atHeart Health Park inSacramento,California on April 23, 2022, which was followed by a spring tour with support fromMemphis May Fire,Volumes, and Moon Tooth in April and May.[57] The band was slated as support onCoheed & Cambria'sA Window of the Waking Mind tour in North America in July and August 2022, followed by a headlining tour in the UK and Europe with support fromCaskets, Volumes, andEidola. On June 8, they were dropped from the Coheed & Cambria tour.[58][59]
On April 14, 2022, the band released a statement announcing that bassist Tim Feerick had died the night before.[60] Feerick's cause of death was later reported to be a suspected fentanyl overdose.[61] He was 34 years old.
On June 3, 2022, following sexual assault allegations against Tilian Pearson, the band released a statement announcing that Pearson would take a hiatus from the band.[62][63]
On June 27, 2022, the band announced their An Evening With Friends tour in support of their albumJackpot Juicer. The 21-date North American stretch of live shows excluded vocalist Tilian Pearson, with Andrew Wells and former frontman Kurt Travis sharing clean vocal duties instead.[64]
On November 10, 2022, Dance Gavin Dance announced via social media that Pearson had rejoined the band from his hiatus. In his own statement, Pearson additionally denied the accusations previously brought against him.[65][66]
On May 16, 2023, the band announced The Jackpot Juicer Tour with support fromSiM,Rain City Drive, and Within Destruction as well as Swanfest 2023 taking place in Philadelphia, PA withStolas, Dwellings,Periphery,Body Thief,Saosin, andSet It Off also joining the festival.[67] On August 24, 2023, the band released a new song called “The Ghost of Billy Royalton” as well as a music video made by guitarist Will Swan for the late Tim Feerick. Sergio Medina was credited for bass in this single. Exactly 2 months later, the band released another new song called "War Machine" as well as a music video directed by Mount Emult.[68]
On April 15, 2024, the band announced the departure of clean vocalist Tilian Pearson via Instagram, citing creative differences and their goals no longer aligning as the reason.[69] Pearson also announced his departure via an announcement on his personal Instagram page.[70]
On May 10, 2024, the band released two singles, "Speed Demon" and "Straight From the Heart" alongside a music video for both. The two singles were their first to feature Andrew Wells as full-time clean vocalist. Later that year, they embarked on the Popular MonsTOUR II tour with Falling in Reverse,[71] joined by Secret Band guitarist Martin Bianchini in Andrew's place on guitar.
On January 14, 2025, the band announced their first headlining tour since Tilian's departure, the Return of the Robot tour, withThe Home Team,SeeYouSpaceCowboy, and Dwellings. SeeYouSpaceCowboy dropped off the tour shortly after the announcement and were replaced byBelmont.
On May 8, 2025, the band announced their next full-length album,Pantheon, alongside the release of the single "Midnight at McGuffy's". A second single, entitled "All The Way Down", released on May 22, 2025. Two additional singles, "Trap Door" and "Space Cow Initiation Ritual", released on July 9, 2025 and August 13, 2025. Pantheon released on September 12, 2025, marking their longest gap between albums to date. The album was their first full-length to feature Andrew Wells as the lead clean vocalist.
Dance Gavin Dance's musical style has been described aspost-hardcore,[72][73][74]math rock,[72][75]experimental rock,[76][77]progressive rock,[72][78]screamo,[78]jazz fusion[78] andemo.[74] Critics have compared the band to fellow post-hardcore peersthe Fall of Troy,Alexisonfire andCirca Survive.[78] Their 2011 releaseDowntown Battle Mountain II is said to feature “the same structuring asThe Mars Volta albumThe Bedlam In Goliath in that it never lets up”.[79]
When asked about their influences in a 2007 interview,Jon Mess said, "We all have such varied music taste that it would be quite a long list," and mentionedAt the Drive-In,Cursive,Explosions in the Sky,MF Doom andRadiohead.[80] Other influences includeDeftones,The Temptations,Glassjaw,Usher andEarth, Wind & Fire.[81] Matt Mingus citedGenesis'sPhil Collins andDeftones'sAbe Cunningham as two of his favorite drummers, whileWill Swan called the guitar work ofThursday and At the Drive-In'sOmar Rodríguez-López as major influences.[82] Swan has emphasized the band's interest in incorporating new styles and to experiment on every release.[83]
Former vocalistJonny Craig was most recently the frontman ofSlaves from 2014 until his departure in 2019. Former vocalistKurt Travis handled vocal duties for the band,A Lot Like Birds, from 2011 until 2016, and is currently the vocalist inRoyal Coda, whereas former guitarist Zachary Garren has started his bandStrawberry Girls, and lead guitarist Will Swan currently operates his own record label,Blue Swan Records, and pursues guitar in the supergroupSianvar,Royal Coda, andSecret Band, which also features Jon Mess and Matthew Mingus. Former guitarist Josh Benton also works as a record producer and has produced Dance Gavin Dance's live studio album,Tree City Sessions (2016), as well as a majority of the releases on Blue Swan Records.
Current members
Touring and session members
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