Dark Below is a 3-piece, hard rock band based out of Columbia, MO.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band:

Josh Campbell: Guitar, lead vocals
Josh Grove: Bass, background vocals
Quin Koldan: Drums

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Dark Below? How long has the band been around?

Quin Koldan: The band has been around since 2012-2013, when Josh Campbell and the former drummer met up through Craigslist to play music. Josh Grove, a friend of the former drummer, joined as the bassist soon after. I played with the other guys a bit in late 2016 but officially joined in 2017. As for other bands, Josh (Grove) and Josh (Campbell) have not been in other projects. I was in another punk band in high school, but we didn't do much, so I sometimes don't count it.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

Quin Koldan: The band was originally called Downphase. There was no meaning behind it to my knowledge, just sounded like a cool name. But when the band recorded our first EP (with the original drummer), the producer, Malcolm, was less than impressed. He later commented that the lyrics for our songs can be dark, darker than he expected from someone like Josh Campbell, who also sings. So that's where Dark Below came from.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

Quin Koldan: Josh Campbell is our main songwriter for sure, although we have one song, Nothing Worth Believing, which I contributed lyrics to. It's a bit difficult to talk about themes and topics with lyrics, but something I did notice we have written about a couple times is faith, whether that be religious or otherwise. I would think as we grow and mature as musicians and write more, what we write about and how we write will also change and grow with us.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

Quin Koldan: Chevelle, Breaking Benjamin and 10 Years have been pretty big influences on how we all play, so they would probably be the most noticeable ones.

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

Quin Koldan: I remember seeing Green Day on TV playing Boulevard of Broken Dreams to a stadium, and I just started playing drums. I saw them play, and thought to myself 'I want to do that with my life.' I've playing ever since.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …

I try to practice stick rudiments (singles, doubles, paradiddles, etc.) to stay warmed up for the show.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Quin Koldan: For me the biggest highlight so far has been playing shows on weekend runs with our friends in Lullwater, a national band from Athens, Georgia. They are amazing musicians and people, and those weekends were a lot of fun!

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Quin Koldan: There's so many I want to play with! One band in particular would be Sevendust, since their drummer was a pretty big influence on my playing.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I just want to say thanks to everyone who takes the time to read this interview, and to our fans and everyone who listens to our music. When people come up after a show and say they are fans is the best feeling in the world, and it never ceases to amaze me that our music is reaching to people and making that connection!