Dustin Bates of Downplay knew injecting a bit of pop music into his rock band was a risk worth taking with the band's new album.
A Day Without Gravity, due out Oct. 17, has one foot in the grunge scene but holds onto the band's light-hearted pop influences such as Weezer.
Lead singer and guitarist Bates started casually performing with drummer Brandon Hill while both were enrolled at Ohio University. Bassist Chad White and guitarist Nick Kiser were added to complete the band.
Intertwining personal and make-believe stories, Bates wrote all the albums lyrics, which include themes ranging from sappy love songs to serious melodies, while throwing in a light-hearted analysis of pop culture.
You can't try to please everybody. They may like 'Stain' but when the next song comes on
I don't want to lose them Bates said.
The loss of Bates's close friend in a plane accident is what most inspired Bates while creating this album.
According to the band's liner notes, Bates writes, I would like to thank my good friend Lantz Bricker for truly believing in me. His death inspired me to fearlessly go after my dreams rather than just carefully pretending to. This album is a product of that.
Wanting the album to be nothing but the best Bates walked the fine line between perfectionism and obsession. He spent nine months writing the lyrics and eight months recording in the studio, wanting every note to sound perfect. While this may seem obsessive, he has a right to adhere to this quality.
Serving as president of the band's record label, Bates continues to take on more responsibility to help the band in the long run. He received $17,000 in investment money to start the label so the band could get off the ground and make money. The band will need to sell about 2,000 CDs before it actually starts making profits, Bates said. This goal makes everybody work harder and produce better music
he said.
The label also helps legitimize the band's professional image when it books bigger venues. While the band is focusing mainly on becoming a regional success in Ohio, Bates is not against reaching the national level, if it comes.
I can't contemplate doing anything bigger than (Ohio) right now ... I've always judged what I had in front of me with what my goals are. Playing an arena show would be huge
but I don't want it to happen right now
Bates said.
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