Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Metcalf.
Hi Steven, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
‘dadlore’ blossomed out of the San Diego State music scene in 2023. We quickly gained traction among our peers which helped us become more locally known in the larger San Diego area. We released our first single on Spotify in spring of 2024, and now a year later, we are preparing to release our debut EP after releasing 2 singles off of it, ‘walls’ and ‘lil homie’. We recorded our EP at Big Fish, a private studio in Encinitas that recorded tracks off of Blink-182’s ‘Enema of the State’. We’re hoping we can create a new sound with this EP, blending the alternative rock, shoegaze, grunge, and indie genres together.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
So far things have worked out fairly well. The biggest issues we’ve run into are recording costs and financial expenses. At the end of the day, we’re broke college kids, and financing a professional EP has been difficult to say the least. Internally we are all best friends, so there’s no issue there, but because we all have our own lives outside of the band, sometimes scheduling conflicts can arise and we’ll have to back out of shows. Other than those 2 struggles, it’s really a privilege to be in a band with your best buds and make stuff you all really enjoy.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
dadlore creates alternative rock music with shoegaze and grunge influences, but also incorporates more indie sounding vocals. We’re really proud of our songwriting and our risk taking. We feel like our music is incredibly interesting and listenable from both a mainstream and technical perspective; to say, if a music critic listened, they’d most likely be intrigued. If a random person (who might not even really care for any specific genre of music) listened, they’d also be intrigued. While our sound is by no means universal, we believe our songwriting is what sets us apart; we are very intentional with our artistry. While our songs are complex, they’re also easily digestible and relatable. None of our songs sound too similar either, which is another thing we’re very proud of. There’s definitely something for everyone in our discography (counting the unreleased EP, coming out in May)
What makes you happy?
Expressing ourselves through music is what makes us happy, generally speaking. I can say that for me, personally, writing new songs with the band is what makes me the most happy. When everyone is engaged in a creative, collaborative headspace, that’s where the best ideas come from. It’s so inspiring to be in those moments, because it makes you remember why you do it in the first place, to make art with your best friends. Creating art in general is what inspires us, through all sorts of mediums. I can also say, confidently, that performing live makes us happy as well. Here we get to put our hard work to the test and show everyone what we’ve been working on, and it’s such a rush. When you have a set list you’re really proud of, and every song feels great to perform, you never want to get off the stage.
Pricing:
- Please book us @welovedadlore@gmail.com and we can discuss pricing
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dadlore_band/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr#
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dadlore-?si=ZZk9mL96WdajA0JN
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3rkKVWeLtOEu9RWnPCZ52F?si=PvrQVdvkR-iwT–MnEuvWQ
Image Credits
Sophie Jones & Sanchez Productions
