Dead Posey: “Music Is Everything. That’s Why We’re A Band.”

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Before playing their first Headline show at London’s Black Heart, we sat down with Danyell Souza and Tony Fagenson of Dead Posey to talk about new music, upcoming shows and much more!

Hi, I’m Nick from The Rock Fix and I’m here with Dead Posey, how are we doing today?

Tony: Wonderful.

Danyell: Fabulous. Thank you.

So you’re playing in London in The Black Heart tonight, Right in the centre of Camden. How are you feeling?

Danyell: I mean, we were just talking on the way over here that it feels like our corner because we’ve played Electric Ballroom, we’ve hung out at The World’s End, I believe that’s what the pub is called, so it’s like we’ve returned to our old stomping grounds. So we’re excited to be at The Black Heart tonight!

Tony: This corner is our home field. And now that we’ve come here, we’re recording this in the record shop, like this just has Dead Posey written all over it!

Well, it’s a pleasure to have you back! You guys use a lot of occult imagery within your music and videos. What was the driving force behind that when you were going into this?

Danyell: You know, I’ve always been interested in the idea that we’re all going to die one day. And I feel like in the olden times, however you like to call it, they kind of celebrated it more, where they would even wear their loved ones on a picture as a brooch on their shirts or coats. And I feel like we’ve kind of, in modern times, gone away from that a little bit. So there’s just something that is kind of poetic about talking about death in a way that makes you not afraid. And it’s almost celebrated more because we don’t even know how we got here fully and we all go to the same place after. So there’s something… I don’t know, apologetic, magical, or metaphysical. All that good stuff, dropping the one and like magic and all that good stuff. So yeah, that answered your question.

I think it does. You mentioned looking back at more old-timey themes and a lot of your visuals and imagery is more I’d say… of an old-timey feel. Is that the reason behind that?

Danyell: I’ll go ahead and say yes. You know, the name Dead Posey came from the old nursery rhyme “Ring around the Rosie, pocketful of posies.” So that’s how it originated. So we’ll go with that!

Tony: We like history a lot. Like, you know, the old history of Hollywood, some of the, you know, kind of dark underbelly of Hollywood because we’re from Los Angeles. Her grandfather, as a matter of fact, was a pretty respected Los Angeles homicide detective who investigated a bunch of famous cases and stuff. So I think, you know, it’s definitely been the dark side of life that has been a bit of interest. And then it comes out in the music.

Speaking of the music, you just had a new single come out that has some very politically charged meanings behind it and with everything going on in American politics at the moment, how is it for yourselves as American citizens?

Danyell: I feel like politics have always tried to separate people and I feel that that’s where we get in trouble as the people, we the people keep on coming together because I feel like there’s so many forces that tear us apart in some way. This way or that way, but I feel ultimately a lot of people agree with each other on a lot of things. Like everybody wants clean water, no one wants children to get killed or trafficked. It’s just we want to live and let live and I feel like most people do feel that way and so “Welcome to the Nightmares” is really just talking about how all news outlets, no matter what news outlet it is, they kind of feed your fears.

Tony: Well, you know, because of the era of social media and all these different cable news channels and everything, all of these things need ratings. They want people watching and the way to get people glued in is to show the worst of stuff. There’s been science about this: you show the worst stuff, you catastrophize everything, and so we just are living in that. It’s not just America either. That’s all throughout the world. It does seem to play out, you know, on one side or the other. It’s two teams, it’s like a football match, you know? Usually, it should be more nuanced and grey than that.

Danyell: But also because the governments are the ones that really, like, make that a thing. And I feel that news outlets do that as well. So we were trying to bring everyone together as much as we can and call out the bullshit for everybody no matter where you stand. I was gonna say something else, but I need more coffee.

Tony: Well, and, you know, it’s almost like what the song’s about doesn’t necessarily matter what side you’re on. You know, we’re all in this together. We have different beliefs. We have different ways of seeing the world. We hope we can all come together but at certain times, it does feel like a bit of a nightmare, where no one’s seeing eye to eye and people just want to stand on their battlefields, you know? So we’re hoping it can improve.

I think the alternative music scene as a whole has a big message of unity and togetherness.

Danyell: Music is everything. And that’s why we’re a band in the first place.

Tony: It very much is, yeah, that’s the great thing about music is that, you know, you can strip it all away, and we all hear the same notes. And we all kind of get the same feelings. Even beyond the lyrics, it’s bigger than just the melody and the lyrics, it’s all one thing together and you just do something. And that’s the great thing about a show too, you know, as you can actually feel that in the room.

You’ve just played Mad Cool Festival. And then you’re coming over here doing these intimate shows in the middle, how is it for you guys to go from the vast stages of a festival like Mad Cool to then coming into a more intimate, secluded sort of environment?

Danyell: Okay, so Mad Cool is our first time playing in Spain. So that was awesome. You know, there’s such a different vibe from a bigger stage to a little small punk club. I tend to like the little small punk clubs, I love the sweat on the walls in the same way we just love that feeling. Everyone’s more close and personal. It’s less space for me to have to walk to the people because I always go to the barricade, or now, you know, in The Black Heart it’s fans right up to the stage. So it’s just a different energy. There’s a little more liveliness to a degree, where I feel like at festivals, you kind of have to wake everybody up a little bit more. So it’s just a different flavour that just depends on the day, the time, how the people are feeling. Are they hungover? Are they tired? Are they hot? But Mad Cool was a great day. We had a lot of technical difficulties because their transformer blew some of our stuff.

Tony: US power and European power just don’t mix.

Danyell: So it took about 25 minutes before we could even start or so. That wasn’t fun. But we made it fun. And we loved the energy in the room once we got going. We’re ready for a show like The Black Heart. We feel at home in a place like this. So I think I like the little punk clubs better.

You kind of really feel connected with the room. Whereas I guess with a festival, there’ll be your fans but also people who are there waiting for a headliner or something like that. Coming over to the UK as an American touring band must have its own challenges, especially when you’re not on a major tour. How is it trying to navigate those challenges for you?

Tony: On a tour like this, you are kind of bouncing around, there’s flights… Whenever flights get involved it’s harder because on a regular tour, even if it’s just for a few weeks, you get your vehicle, you kind of get your little system, your little routine, and musicians like the routines. When you start mixing flights in different countries in different venues, you kind of have to throw it out the window and just improvise a little bit. It’s just an adjustment that you have to make.

Danyell: Stay on your feet and just keep on readjusting depending on the situation.

Tony: Like this is a totally different vibe than Mad Cool, big festival, big green room, you know, bottles of tequila, catering, and the big stage. This is, you know, it’s different but we love this too.

Well, I’ve got one final question, a much more lighthearted one. If there was one band that you could open for in the world, whether past or present, who would it be?

Danyell: I can’t say him because it’s cancelled. So yeah, I think you know who I’m talking about.

Tony: We’ll leave that as a question mark.

Danyell: If you know, you know. I guess like Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode…

Tony: I’m a massive Beatles head, I don’t know if Dead Posey and The Beatles work together but it would be a cool show for us.

Danyell: I could say like Jim Morrison and The Doors. I mean, they don’t really go together with Dead Posey either, but I love Jim Morrison.

Tony: Beethoven, you know.

Danyell: Maybe Hole if they were still together with Courtney Love, Garbage. They actually played at Mad Cool. I think we’ve given like five and one that I can’t say.

That’s all I’ve got for you. Is there anything you guys want to push?

Danyell: The album. We’re putting out our debut album very soon. There isn’t a set date as of yet tho but it will be soon!

Tony: Likely in September. Yeah.

Well, thank you so much for your time!

Danyell: Thank you very much.

Tony: Thank You.

Want to know how the gig went down? Check out our full review of the show here!!!