Quin Koldan bashes things to keep Dark Below in rhythm. Here’s what he has to tell us about his band and bandmates…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We all ended up in Missouri in some shape or form, so we are from Columbia Missouri!
How did you meet?
I actually met the guys through Facebook. Josh Campbell and Josh Grove met in 2013, when the band formed, with the original drummer. In 2016 they needed a new drummer, and made a post on Facebook, which a mutual friend saw and showed me. We practiced a couple times and 2017 is when I officially joined.
How long have you been playing as a band?
This January will be 3 years for me, and for the other guys it’ll be 7 years.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
So the band was originally called Downphase, and while recording the first EP Malcolm, the producer for the EP, said the name sucked and they needed a new one. He later said that he was surprised Josh Campbell writes pretty dark lyrics and doesn’t look like the type. That’s where the name came from.
What are your influences?
Green Day definitely was a huge influence for me, not just as a drummer but as a musician. Breaking Benjamin though when Chad Szeliga was drumming for them really got me motivated to learn as much as I can.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Our music is definitely reminiscent of the early 2000’s hard rock scene, a lot of our musical influences come from those bands (Breaking Benjamin, 10 Years, Chevelle, etc.) but there’s some 90’s/grunge influence and modern rock flair as well. I think the aspect that sets us apart is that big 2000’s influence. We’ve seen and played with a lot of metal bands, and modern hard rock bands but not of whole lot of that song writing style.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Josh Campbell is the main songwriter so he would have a better answer, but we tend to write about standing up for yourself, faith/religion or knowing when to walk away, things that can weigh heavy on the mind at times. But then again that’s one of the reasons we listen to music, right? When we don’t know how to sort out how we think or feel music helps facilitate what you can’t put into words.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Our live show is amazing! At least I’m always at home when I’m on stage. We all love playing and we put everything we have into our live show, so you should all come see us play!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Quin Koldan: My drum kit is a Dixon, but the snare is a DW collector’s series. My cymbal stands are PDPs, the snare stand and kick pedal is from Gibraltar, and the throne is from PDP as well. My cymbals are all Zildjian; the hi-hats are 14″ Mastersound A customs, my crashes are a 18″ A Custom Projection Crash and a 20″ K custom Dark Crash, and my ride is a 23″ K Custom Hybrid. Oh! Almost forgot, my drumsticks are Glenn Kotche signature sticks!
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Right now we are promoting our new lyric video for our newest single, “Halo”. You can listen to it on Spotify as well!
What are your plans for 2020?
Early 2020 we are going to continue writing for our upcoming EP, which will include our single, “Halo”. After that, the sky’s the limit!
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
I would definitely love to support our friends in Lullwater again! we opened for them before and they are an amazing band out of Athens, Georgia! As for openers, I’d go with TROY; they put on an amazing show and get a crowd going!
What is your dream venue to play?
The O2 Arena in the UK would be a lot of fun to play!
Header image: Jay Encina
