Dance Gavin Dance
Dance Gavin Dance is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. It consists of vocalist Jon Mess, lead guitarist Will Swan, rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells, and drummer Matthew Mingus. The band formerly included lead vocalists Jonny Craig, Kurt Travis, and Tilian Pearson, and the lineup has changed numerous times since their inception. Swan and Mingus are the only band members who have appeared on every studio album.
For the eponymous album released by this band, see Dance Gavin Dance (album).
Dance Gavin Dance
Sacramento, California, U.S.
2005–present
- Will Swan
- Matthew Mingus
- Jon Mess
- Andrew Wells
- Alvaro Alcala
- Sean O'Sullivan
- Jason Ellis
- Zachary Garren
- Kurt Travis
- Eric Lodge
- Jonny Craig
- Josh Benton
- Tim Feerick
- Tilian Pearson
The band released their debut extended play (EP), Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean, in 2006 and signed to Rise Records thereafter. Their debut studio album, Downtown Battle Mountain, was released in May 2007. Craig and guitarist Sean O'Sullivan left the group and were replaced by Kurt Travis and Zachary Garren, respectively. They released their self-titled album, Dance Gavin Dance, in August 2008. Vocalist Jon Mess and bassist Eric Lodge left the group before the album's release, with Lodge being replaced by Jason Ellis. Happiness, the group's third studio album, was released in June 2009.
In 2010, Jonny Craig, Jon Mess and Eric Lodge returned to the band and recorded their fourth studio album, Downtown Battle Mountain II (2011). Craig and Lodge departed from the group the following year, which led to bassist Tim Feerick, guitarist Josh Benton, and former Tides of Man vocalist Tilian Pearson joining the band. They released their fifth studio album, Acceptance Speech (2013); Benton left the band shortly after the album's release. Their sixth studio album, Instant Gratification, was released in April 2015. The following year, the group released the live album, Tree City Sessions, and their seventh studio album, Mothership, the latter charting at number 13 on the Billboard 200. They released their eighth studio album, Artificial Selection, in June 2018, placing at number 15 on the Billboard 200. In 2020, they released their ninth studio album, Afterburner in April, which placed at number 14 on the Billboard 200, and Tree City Sessions 2 in December.
Bassist Tim Feerick died in 2022, prior to the release of the band's tenth album, Jackpot Juicer, leading to Sianvar and Royal Coda guitarist Sergio Medina taking over on live bass duties.[1][2] Pearson underwent a brief hiatus from the band in 2022 following sexual assault allegations before parting ways with the band in 2024.[3]
The band has achieved four top-twenty albums in the US, including one top 10.[4]
Musical style, influences, and side-projects[edit]
Dance Gavin Dance's musical style has been described as post-hardcore,[71][72][73] math rock,[71][74] experimental rock,[75][76] progressive rock,[71][77] screamo,[77] jazz fusion[77] and emo.[73] Critics have compared the band to fellow post-hardcore peers the Fall of Troy, Alexisonfire and Circa Survive.[77] Their 2011 release Downtown Battle Mountain II is said to feature “the same structuring as The Mars Volta album The Bedlam In Goliath in that it never lets up”.[78]
When asked about their influences in a 2007 interview, Jon Mess said, "We all have such varied music taste that it would be quite a long list," and mentioned At the Drive-In, Cursive, Explosions in the Sky, MF Doom and Radiohead.[79] Other influences include Deftones, The Temptations, Glassjaw, Usher and Earth, Wind & Fire.[80] Matt Mingus cited Genesis's Phil Collins and Deftones's Abe Cunningham as two of his favorite drummers, while Will Swan called the guitar work of Thursday and At the Drive-In's Omar Rodríguez-López as major influences.[81] Swan has emphasized the band's interest in incorporating new styles and to experiment on every release.[82]
Former vocalist Jonny Craig was most recently the frontman of Slaves from 2014 until his departure in 2019. Former vocalist Kurt Travis handled vocal duties for the band, A Lot Like Birds, from 2011 until 2016, and is currently the vocalist in Royal Coda, whereas former guitarist Zachary Garren has started his band Strawberry Girls, and lead guitarist Will Swan currently operates his own record label, Blue Swan Records, and pursues guitar in the supergroup Sianvar, Royal Coda, and Secret Band, which also features Jon Mess and Matthew Mingus. Former guitarist Josh Benton also works as a record producer and has produced Dance Gavin Dance's live studio album, Tree City Sessions (2016), as well as a majority of the releases on Blue Swan Records.