 "Photo: Courtesy of Way of the Dodo")
Webster's Dictionary describes the Dodo as, "A large, clumsy, flightless bird, formerly of the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, that has been extinct since the late 17th century. One who is out-of-date, as in dress or ideas. A stupid person; an idiot." LMU's own The Way of the Dodo is definitely none of the above. ? Composed of four LMU juniors and one Cal State Northridge music major, The Way of the Dodo is arguably one of the more original acts on campus. Their blend of happy easy-going folk rock is something anyone can get into, and the group is extremely amicable and fun to watch. ? The Way of the Dodo recently finished recording their first demo with Chris Kedzie, and sat down for an interview to talk about performing, how they met, what they hope to accomplish, and why Genghis Kahn would be a great brunch date.
Members:
Dylan Durboraw--Music at Cal North Ridge, San Fernando Valley, CA
Gerry Hirschfeld--Philosophy, San Fernando Valley, CA
Paul Kadzielski--Music and Econ, San Fernando Valley, CA
Jake Riggle--Business, Montana (by way of rock paper scissors)
Ben Zenk-- Philosophy, Hawaii
Who are some group influences?
Beck, Needles, Rolling Stones, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Wilco, Neutral Milk Hotel, James Brown, Nirvana
How did you meet?
Ben Zenk: Gerry and I met freshman year through my roommate then. They both went to the same high school and of course we all go here.
Paul Kadzielski: You (Ben) were that kid outside of Rosecrans who would walk around playing acoustic guitar.
Gerry Hirschfield: We put a couch in front of Jake's door and knocked on the door and ran away. That's how we met him. We made him join our side and then we pranked other people.
PK: One of my friends was dating Dylan and she brought him to one of our shows and then we tried him out and it went really well.
BZ: That's exactly what happened.
PK: Why would I lie about how we met Dylan? And Gerry and I have been in bands together since high school on and off.
What do you want to accomplish with your music?
BZ: Nothing in particular; but we don't want people to like us unless they really like us.
GH: I have no ambitions. We want to try to bring back Dodos.
BZ: We're doing the best we can. I think in the last two weeks we have quadrupled our plays per day on myspace.
JR: I just wanna touch people.
Who is your ideal audience?
BZ: Everyone; Lynryd Skynrd Fans and screaming 12 year-old girls duking it out in the front row.
GH: Screaming 12 year old girls.
PK: I'm not picky about our fans. I just want our fans to like our music. Which they would, by definition of 'fan.'
BZ: Dr. Stone of the philosophy department likes our CD.
JR: I'd like to appeal to everyone.
If you could have brunch with anyone in history who would it be?
GH: Genghis Kan. He would have so much meat.
BZ and PK: George Washington. Or Jake Riggle.
JR: John Lennon. Or probably God.
GH: But then where do you take him and how do you dress? That's a lot of pressure. "Only wine, there will be no water."
Where did the band name come from?
GH: I studied abroad in New Zealand. I meant to say "The way of the kiwi" but it came out "the way of the dodo" and we thought that sounded good.
What was the best show you've played so far?
BZ & GH: The last one at Tangire in Los Felis. It was cool because it was our first show since we finished recording our demo and our first one with Dylan (bass player). Plus, a 90s band opened up for us.
Who writes songs? What are some inspirations?
GH: I write the songs. My inspirations include: Sunsets when it hasn't been windy for a while and it gets that awesome orange color. Miguel from YumYum Donuts. He's just a stand up guy. We can't say enough good things about him. Also, good beards. I think in six months I'll have one.
Is there anything else people should know about your band?
BZ: We're fun to watch.
JR: We're totally awesome.
GH: We always have parties after our shows.
BZ: Anyone can come as long as they're nice to us.
Two years from now what will The Way of the Dodo be doing?
JR: Making music videos probably.
GH: Sloppy dancing.
