The Dawn Drapes make thoughtful indie pop music with a psychedelic tinge. Inspired by melody, harmony, and groove driven rhythm. Daniel Rice and Michael Sanzo are the creative force behind the band and are planning to release new music this spring. Originally from Virginia, The Dawn Drapes now call Philadelphia home.
Dispatch From The Dawn Drapes.
What’s The Best Thing You’ve Binged lately?
Daniel Rice: It’s always gonna be The Sopranos, for me. Best television show ever. Madonn’
Michael Sanzo: I’ve worked my way through a lot of Netflix at this point. Most of it kind of sucks, I think this whole experience has made me a Hulu guy. I did enjoy the new Ozark season on Netflix, although I’m hoping they pivot drastically in season 4 – I could see things getting kind of cyclical and repetitive. I also thought the Hilary Clinton documentary on Hulu was amazing. Other than that I just watch whatever historical non fiction or informative science programming I can find on whatever streaming platform I have access to.
Which Philadelphia Restaurant Should We Get Takeout From?
DR: Support all the ones you can! I’m partial to Murphs or Loco Pez myself.
MS: Well I work at Lloyd Whiskey Bar and we are doing takeout Tuesday – Saturday from 3pm to 8pm, so you should order from there and give your boy a fat tip 😉
-- For Lloyd Whiskey Bar: https://www.lloydwhiskeybar.com/
Which Philly bands should we be listening to?
DR: When you’re not listening to us you mean? Slomo Sapiens just put out a great record that I’ve been listening to. I love Cheerleader, Sixteen Jackies, and Electric Candlelight.
MS: Ok I have a lot on this one – I love both Scantron and Cosmic Guilt – anything Jimmy does usually rips pretty hard. I think Chelsea Mitchell and her band Dirty Dollhouse have been consistently putting out amazing records for years. They are also great live, certainly not a show to miss. I got to give it up for Mike Quinn – he has bangers for days, and he’s my boy. Electric Candlelight is a new project that has Owen Staszewski from Ruby The Hatchet on lead vocals. They slay. Before the ‘tine hit they were rehearsing in the drapes’ practice space (also known as our basement) so I was lucky enough to get a sneak listen to them. Whenever stuff opens back up I highly recommend everyone catch a show of their’s if you can.
Which Non-Philly bands should we be listening to?
DR: The Purple Mountains record floored me. Airpark of course, they write such good tunes! I always listen to a lot of Jackson Browne and Neil Young. My all time go to record is Hustlers Son, by Jason Boesel.
MS: (Please refer to response for Philly bands)
When This Is Over Who Do You Want To Play A Show With?
DR: We just wanna play! But we’ll be bringing our own mics, that’s for sure.
MS: Well The Drapes started down in Harrisonburg VA before we moved to Philly 4 years ago. That said I have to give a shout out to my original VA crew: Shagwuf, Illiterate Light, Dogwood Tales and our spiritual leader Mike Hudson who performs as “Z Plan”
First public place you want to go to after quarantine?
DR: I’m gonna see where everyone else goes first, then I’ll go where they are not.
MS: I really wanted to have a cool answer here but the truth is I’m sure I’ll go to a bar.
First activity you will do after quarantine?
DR: I really want to get back to gigging, rehearsing, and recording with all my friends. I don’t feel like any of us took it for granted, but I know we all miss it deeply.
MS: Well I consider my above answer to describe an extremely important activity but aside from that, I really can’t wait to get back to rehearsing and recording. The four of us (myself and the rest of The Dawn Drapes) were starting to get into an exciting and super productive writing zone right before Quarantine started. Although we have some new music about to be released I’m actually most excited about the unfinished songs that we have been writing together. Even though all the free time I’ve had has been generally creatively productive, nothing compares to getting into the same room with those dudes to work out ideas.
Have you embraced cocktail hour? What’s your favorite cocktail?
DR: Old Fashioned.
MS: I think embrace would be an understatement. My favorite cocktail is a tall glass of Espolon.
Where should we be donating our dollars to help out our fellow Philadelphians?
DR: There are tons of gofundme’s for bars and restaurants if you have the means to support. Buy some band merch or physical music, that goes such a long way. Most of my friends are in either one or both of these industries, so that’s where my head goes first.
MS: I recommend finding your favorite bar or restaurant and seeing if they have a gofundme (or other crowdsource app) that you can give to. Generally that money goes directly to the staff and it is a huge help for service industry employees, many of whom are completely out of work. On a broader note I would consider donating to the American Nurses Foundation. They have a coronavirus relief fund set up that you can donate to here.
What’s your favorite jawn?
DR: Way too many jawns to count.
MS: Well that depends – if I’m going tacos I go Prima Pizza on 9th street and if I want Pizza I go Angelo’s on 9th street. If I’m drinking I’m usually at Johnny Brenda’s. Overall i think my favorite thing about Philly is popping u-turns in the middle of the street without consequence.
Watch The Dawn Drapes video for their song “Pistol” below
Find The Dawn Drapes here.
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For more on the artists and spots mentioned
Local spots - Murphs, Loco Pez, Lloyd Whiskey Bar, Prima Pizza, Angelo's, Johnny Brenda's Philly Artists mentioned - Slomo Sapiens, Cheerleader, Sixteen Jackies, Scantron, Cosmic Guilt, Dirty Dollhouse, Elect
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