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

Jacob “Jake” Bender- Bass/vocals/composer/co-lyricist 19

Alec Dakin- Guitar/vocals/co-lyricist/media manager 19

Sam Foreman- Guitar/guitar tech 21

Travis Harwick- Drums/Talent 14

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

Alec was in a few bands, but I’m not exactly sure what their names were. I know that Travis was in a Metallica cover band called Cyanadia, with our friend Henry Reinach. I was in a basement hard rock band that went through several name changes, although our most notable one was called Trial and Error. We recorded one single in the basement we practiced in, and I have made sure that every copy of the track is destroyed, for good reason. Sam has his own side project called Tape, which is very post-rocky and avant-garde. But I am very sure that is all our first professional band.

We’ve been around for about 3 years now, and every year has gotten better and better than the year before it.

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

The name Dottie Rebel comes from two sources: the song I’m a Loner Dottie, A Rebel, by The Get Up Kids, who are probably Alec and my biggest influences as artists. It also comes from the Pee Wee Herman quote that the song title originates from. Originally we were known as Just Cause, and before that we were Class Of 13 back when we a Green Day/Blink 182 cover band (laughs jokingly).

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?

Alec and I do the writing pretty split down the middle. He’s a talented lyricist who knows how to make subtle, yet interesting pseudo-political lyrics, as seen on the song Adolescence. Most of our music has been about teenage heartbreak, dealing with anxiety and depression, and overcoming the obstacles life randomly throws at you.

As with most artists, I believe that we will grow as musicians, and in turn, so will our song writing abilities. I think that we’ll continue to talk about heartbreak, being sad, and the like, because those are some of the most real concepts we can feel as human beings. And in turn, Alec has becoming more and more politically charged, so I feel like that will also allow us to tweak and continue to grow our sound. 

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

For me I would say Jeff Rosenstock, Bad Religion, and early 2000’s Brand New. Alec is all about singer-songwriter music at the moment, and I’m hoping we can write something along those lines as well. A great example would be Damien Rice. Travis is a metalhead, and a student of metalcore drummer, Matt Greiner, so you can tell where his interests lie. I’m not sure what Sam has been into recently, but I can assure you it’s something involves delay, reverb, and a lot of long held out notes *chuckles to self*.

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

I’d be lying if it wasn’t Green Day. Alec would say the same thing. The band gets so much heat for “selling out” and yeah, Uno, Dos, Tre, and 21st century breakdown are pretty subpar albums. However, I would never have picked up a guitar, let alone start singing if it wasn’t for American Idiot, and I’m sure Alec could say the same. Travis has been playing drums since the time he was 3, and at 14 he’s probably the tightest drummer I’ve ever played with, and it’s all thanks to August Burns Red. Sam is always in and out, and has been a longtime friend of ours, but one thing I can say is I definitely don’t think he would be playing any music if it wasn’t for Radiohead.

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

Three things:

Practice

Practice

Pizza

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

Probably getting our first real EP out, and then having it be reviewed by Funeral Sounds, found here:

http://funeralsounds.com/reviews/dottie-rebel-serenading-the-rush-hour-traffic-philadelphia-pennsylvania/

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

I think we’re going to stick pretty present, because there’s already so much talent out there. If I had to pick some bands that would match our sound and level of energy, I would say us opening for a show of Seaway, The Menzingers, Tiny Moving Parts, and Jeff Rosenstock as a headliner would be a dream come true (at least for me).

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Well shameless plug here, yes I would like to add the link to our EP, and let you know that we are trying to keep the project afloat as best as we can, and are going to try playing some local festivals in Philadelphia this summer. We’re also in the works on a single, and possibly some other goodies for the summer.

https://dottierebel.bandcamp.com/album/serenading-the-rush-hour-traffic

Thanks for having me Jordan!

- Jake